Hope Filled Eyes
by pyrotech
Summary: Every time Katara dreamed of those hurt filled green eyes, she wanted one thing, to help him. She didn't think he existed, until one night the wounded boy makes his way into their world, changing everyone's lives, forever.
1. It Starts

**AN: Well to all you Zutarians, all you Kataangers, and all you whatever else you wanna put Katara with. Are there any Katappas or Motaras out there? No? Just checking. Anyway, to you Katara and whoever shippers, this is a new person all his own. Here he is the newest guy to steal Katara's heart (maybe). **

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><p>He fell to the ground in defeat in despair. He looked at the ground and got to his knees, using all of his strength to stay up. He panted and tried to catch his breath, his body worn and beat. Suddenly he looked up and in front of him stood a beautiful girl, her eyes locked with his. She had the most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen, he felt like he couldn't breathe. The girl gave him a smile and held out a hand, she wanted to help him, he needed her help. He held out his hand to reach for her's, inches apart…<p>

Nathan shot up in his bed in a cold sweat. He had the dream again, the blue eyed girl trying to help him; he always woke up as she reached for him. Nathan sighed and flicked his head, causing his straight black hair to fall right into his green eyes. He stood up and stretched, giving his clock a quick glance, 6:30. It was Saturday and the dream kept Nathan from sleeping in.

"Better her then my mom" Nathan sighed and threw on a pair of dark jeans and a black shirt. He tied his old pair of black knock off converse and grabbed his duffle bag. Nathan ran out, the sun had started rising, so Nathan could see where he walked. His house was located at the edge of town, and nearby was a forest, this was his destination. Nathan kept running, never breaking pace, he had to get to his spot as soon as possible, Nathan ran for a good fifteen minutes, by the time he came to the clearing he was sweating and out of breathe. Nathan looked around and his breathe was lost, he smiled and ran a hand through his hair. He found this clearing a few days ago and he'd been dying to get back. The clearing was small, but the grass was fresh cut, a pond lay in the middle, and beautiful trees kept it hidden. Nathan sat down and unloaded his duffle, inside were his painting supplies, he set them all out carefully and began mixing paint. Nathan looked at the blank canvas and started painting. His brush danced across the canvas, his eyes filled with focus, Nathan was determined to paint her right. He managed her body, her blue attire; he got her mocha skin just right. He painted the braid down her back, the loopies that were at the side of her hair. Nathan looked at his work, he had painted her the best he ever had so far, all that was left was her face. He took careful strokes, painted her lips in the beautiful warm smile, her small nose; all that was left was the eyes. Nathan took a deep breathe, he mixed the blues, but for some reason he couldn't get it right, the blues just couldn't match her.

Nathan growled in frustration and took another deep breathe. He carefully mixed the blue paint, recalling the dream as best he could; finally he had the right shade of blue, and started painting her eyes. After what seemed like forever he finished her eyes and looked at his work. "It still isn't right!" Nathan said, mad at himself.

_Her eyes, they're too dull, that's not how they look. Her eyes are supposed to be filled with something, something I can't quite get… _Nathan thought to himself. He sighed and blew his bangs in frustration. He set the painting to dry and looked towards the pond. The pond really interested Nathan, because in it was two beautiful coy fish. One was black with a white spot, the other white with a black spot; they swam around each other in an endless circle. Nathan couldn't figure out who tended this wonderful and peaceful spot, he actually didn't care. This was the place Nathan felt at peace, if the person didn't bug him, Nathan was fine with that.

Nathan began painting the fish; they were easier to paint then the mystery girl. After careful strokes, countless detailing, and painstaking paint mixing he finished. Nathan smiled with pride at his work, the painting was beautiful, it perfectly captured the fish and the way the light shined in the pond. Nathan set it to dry and carefully packed up his supplies, finally putting the painting of the girl into his bag of paintings. He then sat and enjoyed the sun, it had risen higher in the sky, so his fish painting quickly dried, and Nathan put it away and checked his watch. It was 11:30, Nathan instantly filled with fear.

"Aw man! Shoot! Crap, crap crap crap!" Nathan yelled and mumbled, grabbing his bag and sprinting home. Nathan ran as fast as his legs could take him, he reached the door of his house in record time, carefully setting his duffle behind a loose board outside. Nathan walked into his house and braced for impact. Sitting at the kitchen table was a skeleton with skin stretched over it, mousy brown hair covered her head, and anger filled brown eyes glared at him above her hawk like nose.

"You're late." The woman said to Nathan.

"Yes I know, I just was-"Nathan began

"You were trying to get out of your chores, you lazy good for nothing kid!" She shrieked at him cutting him off.

"No really I wasn't…" Nathan pleaded weakly.

His mother reached him with lightning speed and before he knew it, her hand made contact with his cheek. The blow stung, but Nathan only flinched. "Now make me breakfast, or the next one will hurt." His mom said as she sat back down.

Nathan stayed silent and began cooking her oatmeal. He poured a glass of orange juice for her, and slopped the oatmeal in a bowl. He carried it over to her and set it down without a word.

"This looks like crap. I wanted good oatmeal" She glared at him accusingly "Go do your chores"

Nathan mumbled an apology and a yes ma'am.

"Speak up when you talk to me!" She shrieked at him, kicking his shin, because she was sitting.

Nathan winced in pain, nodding, and went off to clean the whole house. He started with the laundry, doing everyone's laundry. He cleaned the toilets, the floors, the showers, and everything else in the house. If his mother was in the same room, he suffered through her verbal and physical abuse, taking it quietly with a few yes ma'ams. Finally the house was finished and Nathan sat down in relief, but it was short lived, outside he heard the dreaded truck door slam.

"Please be a good day. Please be in a good mood" Nathan whispered pleadingly. A good mood meant a few bruises and a stomp to the room, a bad mood… Nathan didn't want to think about that. The front door opened with a loud bang and a voice boomed through the house.

"WHERE IS THAT GOOD FOR NOTHING UNGRATEFUL BRAT?"

Nathan's mother shrieked from upstairs "He's in the living room, lounging around while I've been hard at work!"

Nathan knew this was a lie, but he also knew arguing was pointless. A tall man over six feet tall with a crew cut, a wife beater, bulging muscles, and green anger filled eyes stomped into the room. He had a shattered beer bottle in his hand, and Nathan knew he had one drink too many.

"Get your lazy butt over here boy!" He growled at Nathan

Nathan gulped and was stuck in his seat with fear.

"Why you little!" He ran to Nathan, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and pushing him into the wall. "I work hard to put a roof over your head, food in your belly, clothes on your back, and this is how you repay me? Today I was caught drinking on the job; I had to tell my boss I was trying to relax cuz my good for nothing son was being an ungrateful brat!"

Nathan could smell the alcohol on his breathe and his words were slurred. Nathan knew what came next and soon enough, the beating started. Punch after punch made contact with Nathan's face, knees to his gut, blows to every visible part of the body. Then his father stopped and reached up with the broken beer bottle. He sliced Nathan across the arm, down his cheek, and jabbed him in the stomach. He then tossed Nathan outside in a crumpled heap and spat on him. "That's for costing me my job, boy!"

The back door slammed shut and Nathan lie on the ground, unable to move. This was the worst beating he had ever gotten, he couldn't breathe, but he didn't cry. Nathan laid there for a long while, looking at the moon as he bled. He needed help, the kind of help he only knew one way to get. Nathan began crawling; he crawled to the front of the house and grabbed his duffle, moving painstakingly to the clearing. He was losing blood, but moved until he reached it, he pulled himself to the edge of the pond and looked around and saw what he needed. A sharp rock.

"Perfect" Nathan said weakly. He would die here, in peace, with his art, finally leaving this life. Nathan grabbed the rock and began slicing, up, down, horizontally, vertically, just wanting to end the pain.

"Please, I just need help…"

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><p>Yue looked unto the crumpled boy on the ground; he was slicing his own wrists, at the same place she died. She felt herself begin to cry, she couldn't stand to watch this boy hurt himself. If he continued he would surely die. She wondered how someone's life could be so horrible; they would want to end it. Yue knew he was special, she had to help him, and since he was at a spiritual place and the moon was full, it would be easier.<p>

Yue appeared in front of the poor boy, he looked at her with surprise, a rock positioned in his hand for another slice.

"Please, don't do this." Yue pleaded.

"I must be dreaming" he murmured

"I am very real, and I want to know, is your life that awful? Awful enough to end your own life?" She asked with concern.

"Yes" he stated simply.

"Isn't there anything you have to live for? Anyone?" Yue asked, she wanted him alive.

He thought about it for a long while and finally spoke. "At night, I dream of this beautiful girl, with blue eyes. She tries to help me, but can't reach me, I'd miss those dreams. "

Yue smiled, "I think I can offer some assistance."

The boy began to question her, but he had passed out, and Yue watched the fish. "Well, let us help this poor tortured soul" She said sweetly and the fish began to glow a bright blue and they continued to swim. Yue left and returned to her post as the moon, she watched as a flash of blue light appeared and Nathan was gone.

"Good bye Nathan, I hope you find help. I will always look out for you, and so will your new friends."

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><p>Katara sat up, watching the moon in the night sky, her friends had all fallen asleep and she smiled as she watched them. Sokka was curled in his sleeping bag, snoring loudly, Toph was in her earth tent, and Aang slept on Appa's head with Momo curled on his chest. Katara was having problems sleeping, what bugged her was she wanted to sleep, she looked forward to the dream she had started having each night. Katara sighed, she could remember the dream vividly.<p>

She walked along an empty road until she came to a boy on his knees, barely staying up. When he looked up at her, his eyes always caught her by surprise. His eyes were the most brilliant green she had ever seen. They were like emeralds in a jungle with the sun shining; there was no comparison to the greenness. But the other details of his eyes were the pain and hurt she saw in them. His eyes were filled with a pure miserable pain, sorrow, and suffering. In the dream she would reach out to help him, and right as she did, it would end and she'd wake up. Katara wanted to help this boy, so bad.

"Please, if you exist, let me help you." Katara looked at the moon, her eyes filled with hope of helping this poor boy. Just then a brilliant flash of blue light struck past their camp and behind some rocks. Katara decided to go investigate, it was a strange occurrence. She hesitated and considered waking the others up, but decided not to.

Katara went to where she saw the blue light hit and made out a body.

"Hey, are you okay?" Katara yelled as she approached the person. No response. Katara walked closer and saw the body wasn't moving, she dashed to the side and kneeled next to it. She flipped the body on its back and saw it was a guy. With closer examination Katara saw he was hurt badly.

"Hello. If you're in there, wake up. Please, wake up." Katara gently shook the boy, worry in her voice. His eyelids fluttered open and Katara gasped, in the moonlight, she saw his eyes. HIS eyes, the green eyes, it was the boy. He looked at her and his eyes grew wide for a second. "I am going to help you" Katara said reassuringly.

The boy nodded and passed out, while Katara dragged him to a nearby stream. She began healing him, he had many cuts and wounds, and she noticed a rock in his hand. She couldn't help but wonder if the wounds were self-inflicted, Katara shook the thoughts and worked on healing him. The boy was wearing the strangest attire she had ever seen, he couldn't be from around here, he also had a strange bag, but she left it alone. Katara finished healing him and dragged him to shore, water bending the excess water from him. She dashed back to camp, grabbed a blanket and ran back, putting it on the boy.

"Who are you?" Katara asked as she stroked his head. He was still asleep, but Katara was determined to stay up with him, and she did just that.

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><p><strong>Yes, I understand, rocky first chapter, reviews would be helpful, unless you hate the story, then stop reading, easy as that. I appreciate criticism and it is greatly appreciated. So thanks and may your day be filled with ducks. Or nights...<strong>


	2. Built Up Walls

**AN: Man I realized I never did a disclaimer now I am probably gonna get sued, and I have no money. Well I guess I could always get a loan from the Avatar Crime Syndicate, I really enjoyed writing the beginning of this chapter, I know it may seem slow, but you must go through this river of fruits and vegetables before we get to the meat of the story.**

**Sokka: "Yes! Meat!"**

**Anyhoo, I don't own Avatar, because if I did, Nathan would be in there, and there would be someone with blonde hair, why? Because I never saw a blonde in that show. Okay, onto the story. **

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><p>Nathan's green eyes fluttered open. The sun was barely above the horizon, and Nathan had no clue where he was. He was leaning against some rocks, his head slightly elevated. He looked around and saw a stream gently moving along, and next to him he saw a girl. Nathan held his breathe, he didn't know who she was, where he was, or why his head hurt so much. Nathan winced in pain; suddenly last night's events came flooding back to his mind. He remembered the beating, reaching the stream, the cutting, the mysterious woman, and then he remembered blacking out. It still didn't make sense; he wanted to know how he got here, when one more memory hit him. Her eyes. Nathan remembered the split second, the girl offering to help, the girl with the blue eyes. Nathan looked over to the girl once more and saw it was the same one, his head was spinning. Nathan wasn't sure if this was a dream or reality, he was in far too severe pain to tell. Another realization hit him.<p>

"I should be dead" He whispered. Nathan looked at his arms, the cuts were gone, on his stomach, the cut was gone, and everywhere he was wounded the injuries were gone. All that was left was a dull ache, Nathan knew it had to be from blood loss; he looked at the girl again, wondering why she saved someone like him. More importantly though, he wondered how.

Nathan looked to his left, and next to him was his duffle, his painting supplies were still in it. Nathan had no clue how he saved, in fact Nathan had no clue how he was here. As Nathan tried to wrap his head around the day's events a voice interrupted his train of thought.

"Oh good, you're awake." Nathan turned his head to see the beautiful girl smiling at him. Her blue eyes wide open, filled with happiness and relief.

"You…saved me?" Nathan asked hesitantly.

"Well, yes, I did." The girl gave him another warm smile.

"Why?" Nathan questioned, wondering why a stranger would be so kind.

"Why not?" The question seemed to confuse her. She gave him a quizzical look. "You were seriously hurt; I couldn't leave you to die."

Nathan sighed and decided to try a more important question. "Where am I?"

"In the Earth Kingdom." She said it as if he should have known that.

"The what? Am I even in Washington anymore?" Nathan had never heard of this place, he had no idea where he was.

"Washington? I've never heard of that place in the four nations. Is that a fire colony, and what's with your clothing?" She asked, just as confused as him.

"Washington, that place in America, you know red, white, and blue. America with McDonalds on every block and the most obese population. Washington, near California, like Forks Washington, Twilight place, horrible series, sparkly vampires." He hissed for effect. "And as far as my clothing goes, it's completely normal, and I have no idea about these colonies you speak of."

The girl turned her head sideways, in confusion. "I think we are far away from America, no one has ever heard of it. Also your town sounds pretty dangerous, I wouldn't stay there." She said with concern.

Nathan chuckled, this girl was worried about make believe vampires. He sighed, he was a long way from home, but he could live with that. "So, thank you for helping me, miss."

The girl seemed to still be pondering the vampires, but stopped and smiled at him. "My pleasure." She then reached for something and put her hand behind Nathan's head. He flinched, knowing the hit was inevitable. She stopped moving , "Did I hurt you?"

"Just get it over with, please." Nathan begged and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Um, okay…." He felt his chin is elevated and something press against his lips.

_Here it comes, _he thought. Ever so gently water streamed into his mouth and Nathan was so shocked he almost choked. With better judgment though, he drank, and it was refreshing. He thirstily finished the water until it was all gone. The girl smiled at him and he simply stared at her. Their eyes locked, he couldn't look away.

"You have incredible eyes." Nathan said with honesty. The girl was caught off guard by the comment and blushed.

"Thanks, but I think yours are more incredible." She said, with a small smile. Nathan grinned, this girl seemed sweet. "My name is Katara" She said, "What's yours?"

Nathan couldn't respond, Katara, it was a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. When she started giving him strange looks he snapped back to reality. "Oh ya, my name are uh, ummm" He was stuttering and started blushing. "N-Nathan" He finally said lamely.

She giggled at him. "Well N-Nathan, do you have any clue how you got here?" She asked interest in her face.

Nathan didn't want to tell her, not yet. "I, I can't really say, because, to be honest I'm not sure." This was true; the only thing he knew was that the mysterious woman helped him.

"Well that's okay, as long as you're safe. How old are you?" She asked.

This girl was strange to him. "I'm fifteen, you?"

"Fourteen." She smiled. "Are you hungry?"

Nathan heard his stomach growl, but shook his head. "I'm fine." His stomach growled, "Just fine."

She rolled her eyes and pulled out a few nuts and berries, shoving them into his hands. "Don't be stubborn and eat." She commanded in a mother like tone. Something about her tone made Nathan obediently eat. It felt good to have food in his belly and he gave Katara a thankful smile. "Good. Now, I guess I should bring the others to meet you." She said. At this Nathan shot up quickly, causing more pain. He winced, but it didn't hide his shock.

"Others? There are more of you?" He asked, fearing this wasn't just a nice group of people.

"Well of course, there's four of us, well not counting Appa and MoMo, I'm sure they'd love to meet you." She said with a happy smile. Nathan wasn't as excited, he could picture it now. The others in her group were probably a big scary bunch, she was the pretty one. This was probably an elaborate slave trading of human trafficking operation. And Appa and MoMo were probably two horrific beasts that would eat him if he tried to escape. Nathan gulped.

"So um, where are your friends?" He asked, trying to hide the nervousness in his voice.

"Oh they're probably eating breakfast, or just now waking up; we had a pretty brutal day yesterday. Toph worked Aang nonstop, making sure he attacked things like a rock, Aang is so powerful, but he still has much to learn. Toph is frustrating at times, and Sokka, my brother, was mapping out our next route and sharpening his weapons." Katara explained to him.

Nathan's eyes grew wide. This Toph guy must have been super strong. Nathan pictured a huge muscly African American man with a shaved head and sunglasses, probably attacking people like a rock. Even his name sounded scary, Toph, it sounded like tough, that couldn't be good. This Aang fellow sounded like he was the newest recruit, he pictured an eighteen year old who probably knew one too many ways to kill you, and Toph was teaching him more. And Sokka, Nathan shivered, this guy sounded like the scariest. He pictured this guy as the brains of the operation, he saw a mafia type man sitting in a huge chair, mapping out where their shipment of humans would go too, while sharpening a huge knife. This group sounded like a cruel bloodthirsty crime syndicate, and Katara lured them in.

"You sure I have to meet them Katara?" Nathan asked, hoping she would take pity on him and let him escape.

"Well of course! You have to come with us!" She said happily "I won't leave you out here alone."

Nathan grimaced, he always had bad luck. He sighed better sooner than later to face the inevitable. Nathan accepted his doomed future. "I guess I'll meet them." Katara grinned.

"Great, just stay here, and I'll be right back." She stood up and began walking off. Nathan waited for the longest ten minutes of his life, and finally Katara emerged. "I'm only going to introduce you one by one; I don't want to overwhelm you." Nathan smiled weakly as Katara walked in followed by a boy.

The boy looked no older then twelve, he wore a strange yellow and orange robe like attire, he had huge grey eyes, a goofy naïve smile, a bald head, and a huge blue arrow tattooed on it. The boy looked at him, gave a bigger smile and said, "Hi, I'm Aang, I heard Katara saved you, she's a great healer."

"I'm Nathan." Nathan said, still shocked this was the powerful boy Katara spoke of. "You have arrows on you" Nathan said lamely.

Aang laughed. "Yes, I guess my tattoos are strange, you see, these show that I'm a master airbender." Nathan blinked and Aang looked at his clueless expression. "You know, airbender, we went extinct one hundred years ago. I'm the last of my kind; it's kinda a big deal." Aang said, trying to sound smooth, and failing. Nathan only blinked again, _is this kid for real? _Aang sighed, "You have no idea what airbending is do you?" Nathan shook his head. "Well then, I'll show you!"

Aang hopped up high into the air and underneath him was a ball of air, Aang rode around on it until it dissipated. Aang smiled, and then shot a gust of wind into the water, causing it to splash. Nathan's jaw dropped. "You just, the air, and the, but…that isn't possible!"

"Ah, but it is." Aang laughed and sat down. "You aren't from around here are you? Do you even know anything about bending?" Nathan shook his head. "Ah we have a lot to tell you, but for now I'll let Toph meet you. Aang waved and walked off, Nathan shook with fear.

This Toph guy was going to walk in and smash his face, Nathan knew it. Despite being wrong about Aang, Nathan knew he was right about Toph. He wondered if Toph was a bender too, and whatever these benders were, they seemed powerful. Nathan gulped as a young girl walked in and sat herself squarely across from him, dropping to the ground with a thud.

"Sup" She nodded, seeming to look right through him with minty green eyes.

"You're T-Toph?" Nathan was confused.

"Well ya, when Twinkletoes said I was coming in, who did you expect, The Fire Lord?" Toph said sarcastically.

"Well it's just when I heard about you I expected a really big muscly guy, not a young girl." Nathan explained.

"So you don't think I can beat you up?" Toph said, anger rising in her voice.

"No, not at all! You have this presence that screams power, and I completely believe you could probably kill be in a hundred different ways." Nathan spoke quickly. Toph gave him that see through glare, and then to his surprise started laughing.

"I like you, and your common sense to know me and my earth bending could kick your butt. Welcome to the group." Toph stood up and walked away, which only left, Nathan swallowed.

"Sokka" Nathan pictured the head of the whole operation and could only picture what element he could bend. This guy had to be extremely powerful, brilliant, cunning, and completely evil. Nathan was scared beyond scared, wondering what these people will do to him, when he saw a boy about his age in blue attire walked towards him. The boy had his hair in a ponytail and some kind of weapon sheathe on his back, Nathan couldn't tell what it was, but it looked scary. The boy sat down in front of Nathan and began looking him up, down, and all around, as if inspecting him.

"Hmm" The boy said, "I'm Sokka, Katara said your name is Nathan and apparently you are gonna be traveling with us, which is great, all we need is someone else to feed." He said sarcastically. "So, what can you do?"

Nathan was confused, Sokka probably wanted to know his talents so he could know how much he would fetch in the black market. "I um…. Can't do anything." Nathan replied.

Sokka gave an over exaggerated sigh, "Well this is just great. Stupid sister, always having to help people." Sokka took a deep breath and smiled at Nathan. "Welcome to the group."

"You mean, I'm a member?"

"Of course, we aren't gonna leave you with nowhere to go." Sokka said with a grin

"But would if I don't want to be in your crime syndicate?" Nathan asked shakily.

"Crime, what are you talking about?" Sokka's eyes seemed to bulge "We're the good guys! We have the Avatar! We are gonna stop the fire lord and the hundred year war!" Sokka yelled defensively, standing up. Nathan gave him a blank stare. "You have no idea what any of that means, do you?" Sokka asked a bit calmer. Nathan shook his head. "Wow, Katara wasn't kidding when she said you had no clue what world you were in. Well I better explain everything I can."

Sokka then told Nathan everything he knew about the world. He explained how certain people could bend the elements, how there were four nations, how Sozin started the war, how airbenders were exterminated, how Aang was the Avatar, and just about everything else.

"Wow" Nathan said, his head spinning.

"Ya, it's a lot to take in, let's get you to camp and get some food. I'm starved." Sokka said rubbing his stomach. He helped Nathan to his feet and allowed Nathan to lean on him as he grabbed his bag and they headed towards the sight. As they approached the group, Nathan noticed a giant fuzzy beast and yelled.

"Watch out Sokka! There's a huge monster right there!" Nathan yelled in fear. Sokka chuckled.

"That's just Appa, he wouldn't harm a Spiderfly, well unless you put Aang in danger, then he becomes a monster." Sokka explained. Nathan made a mental note to himself to not piss off Aang or Appa. As the two boys approached the group Katara looked up at them.

"What took you so long? I finished making lunch five minutes ago!" She said angrily.

"Chill, sis. I was just telling our buddy Nathan here about our world." Sokka said quickly, he seemed frightened by Katara. Nathan nodded in agreement and Katara's gaze softened when she saw him.

"How you feeling?" She asked with a bit of worry in her tone.

"I'm doing better, thanks." Nathan reassured her. Sokka helped him sit down and as they all got settled to eat, a flying monkey landed on Aang. "Aang! On your head!" Aang looked up and laughed.

"That's Momo, he's a flying lemur, or a lemur bat, he's harmless." Aang said. Momo chirped at Nathan then proceeded to chase a bug. Katara began passing out bowls of soup, as she handed one to Nathan, Nathan began handing it to Momo.

"What's wrong Nathan?" Katara asked with confusion.

"I thought this was for Momo" Nathan said, just as confused. Katara laughed.

"It's for you, Nathan" Katara said with a smile.

"This whole thing!" He asked in disbelief, Nathan never got a full bowl, not even his birthdays. Katara nodded and Nathan expressed a grateful thank you, and then devoured the soup. After he finished his bowl so quickly, Katara poured him another, and Nathan greedily ate it. He ate four bowls and finally stopped. "That was delicious Katara, thank you."

"Ya thanks Katara." Aang said.

"Good food Sweetness" Toph remarked.

"It was good, but could of used more meat" Sokka shrugged.

"Well you're all welcome." Katara smiled, and then everyone ran off to their various activities, leaving Katara, Nathan, and a pile of dished. Katara began collecting them, and Nathan started to help. "What are you doing now?" She asked.

"The dishes, I always do them." Nathan said casually. "I always though I was the one who was supposed to do them."

"No you need to rest." Katara said.

"I'm really fine, I won't move that much." Nathan said, as he continued to clean up dishes. Katara sighed and let him help, but as she started washing them she wouldn't let him help.

"I'm a waterbender; it's easy for me to do." She explained. Nathan watched her do a few movements and water washed away all the food remnants from the bowls.

"Amazing!" Nathan exclaimed. He had never seen someone move water. Katara simply laughed at his expression.

"That was nothing" She said "Wanna see some real waterbending?" She asked. Nathan nodded and Katara held her hand out to him, he flinched and cowered away from it. Katara gave him a look of worry. "You okay?"

"Umm ya, I just thought you were going to…nevermind." He hesitantly took her hand as she led him to a river.

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><p>Katara stood in the river as she looked at Nathan at the shore. He was getting better, but he still wasn't at full strength. This boy was a mystery to her, she knew nothing about him, and yet, something drew her to him. Maybe it was the way his eyes were filled with a deep hidden pain, maybe it was her instinct to help someone who was hurt, or maybe she just did. Nothing made sense to her at that point so she just went with it.<p>

"Ready?" Katara called to Nathan. He gave her a thumbs up and Katara began bending. She started with some basic water whips, made a few waves, then started picking up. On her next wave she made it huge and sent it towards herself, then at the last second cut in perfectly in half so she didn't get a drop on her. She then shot up on a pillar of water and as she free fell towards the river she caught her feet at the last second, then froze the river under her and skated across it, coming to a halt in front of Nathan and simultaneously unfreezing it.

"That was unbelievably incredible!" Nathan exclaimed. His face was filled with joy, and she noticed that his eyes too seemed to smile, she liked that.

As Katara dried herself off Nathan continued to go on about her bending. "I'm glad you enjoyed it." Katara laughed.

"I really did!" Nathan said. Katara sat down by Nathan.

"So what do you think of this place?" She asked.

Nathan smiled "It's really something else, this place is beautiful, the bending is beautiful, just like you."

Katara felt herself blush "T-thank you."

"I'm only telling the truth." Nathan said bluntly, looking at the water. This only made Katara blush harder.

"So do you know when you're going back to your world?" Katara asked. Nathan tensed up and he instantly brought his arms around himself in a defensive way.

"I don't know" He simply said.

"Did something happen there?" Katara asked, gently touching his shoulder. Nathan pulled from her grasp like in animal retreating from a beating stick. He didn't respond and stared straight ahead. "I understand you don't want to talk about it, but maybe I can help." Katara said slowly.

"I just want to be alone. I appreciate everything you've been doing, but I'm not really in a good mood. I don't really want anyone to see me, like….this." Nathan said, his voice wavering, like he was trying to avoid crying or yelling. Katara couldn't see his face since he turned away, but she decided to back away.

"I'll be at the campsite, we have dinner right after sundown, if you aren't back, one of us will come get you." Nathan simply nodded and Katara stood to leave. She walked away, she knew this poor boy had been hurt, he built a wall to avoid being hurt farther as she saw. Katara knew she needed to help him, all she could do was hope, hope was all she seemed to have lately.

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><p>Sure enough, by sundown, Nathan made his way back to the camp, as Katara saw him coming, she smiled. She had just finished dinner and he sat down quietly, his eyes were red, but his face was straight. Katara sighed, as Toph, Aang, and Sokka made their way back for dinner.<p>

"Smells good." Aang said.

"I'm starved." Toph said.

"Fooooooood" Sokka moaned. Katara chuckled and handed everyone a bowl, everyone laughed and talked, while Nathan simply ate in in silence.

"And then the fire nation soldier said 'That's not a messenger hawk, that's my wife!'" Sokka said. Everyone roared with laughter, Nathan cracked a small smile, and when Katara saw this she felt much better.

"Hey new guy, why you being so quiet?" Toph said, her eyes looking in his general direction.

"Oh, I'm just thinking, that's all." Nathan said quietly. Toph rolled her eyes.

"I may be blind, but I know when someone's got stuff on their mind, kid." Toph said, even though he was older and bigger than her.

"You're blind?" Nathan asked in shock.

"Well I think the award for obvious statement of the century goes to new guy here" Toph chuckled, "But to answer your question, yes, I am blind." Toph then explained how she sensed vibration through the earth as Nathan intently listened.

"Wow, so I guess you can see Sokka trying to steal your food?" Nathan asked. Toph punched the approaching water tribe boy in the face.

"Yes, yes I can." She said. After that, Nathan began laughing along with everyone else and the rest of the night was enjoyable and fun.

After dinner, everyone went to bed, excluding Nathan and Katara, Nathan continued to help her with the dishes and Katara washed them. "You should probably rest, we're gonna head out tomorrow." She explained. Nathan nodded and began to walk off, but stopped.

"Katara, I'm sorry about earlier, I know my actions were uncalled for and confusing, I just, I have some things about my life I don't like to think about. But I really just want to say thank you, you're so kind, and wonderful. So thank you for all that you did for me." He smiled at her and began to walk.

"Nathan." He stopped. "When I found you, I saw the rock in your hands, I don't know if those wounds were self-inflicted, and I don't really care. All I know is that someone either hurt you in a way no one should be hurt, or someone drove you to the point where you thought dying was a better fate. Whatever the case, I want you to know I won't let that happen to you again, and I won't judge you for it. If you ever want to talk about it, I'm here, and if you don't, I'm still here. I guess what I'm trying to say is that we are all here to help each other, we help our friends, and you're our friend now."

Nathan stood still for a while "Thank you" He spoke quietly, it was short, simple, but expressed his gratitude. He needed no other words and Katara knew that.

"You're welcome" She said, as Nathan walked off to bed. Katara smiled, she had hope for Nathan, she knew she could help him, and she was determined to do so.

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><p><strong>AN: Can't say how soon I'll get the next chapter up, hopefully within the week, depend how busy I am with important stuff. *Hides video game* So I hope you liked the chapter, read, review, eat some cake, if you don't have any go buy some, with a duck on it. Have a nice day. <strong>

**One more thing, to the one person who reviewed you made my whole freaking day dude! Thank you! **


	3. Alcohol and Unknown Realities

**AN: Forgive me if this chapter seems boring, in this we mostly find out more of Nathan's problems, and budding feelings, it isn't the best chapter, but it is needed, the next one will be a bit more comical and happier and what not. This chapter is a bit darker at parts and has more romantic whatever stuff. Anyway, I hope you appreciate it, because I was like falling asleep as I typed this, so I drank a monster and tried to stay awake just for you guys, and because I'm so lazy and didn't do it sooner, anyway, onto the chapter.**

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><p>Nathan panted heavily, running down a hallway that seemed to never end. As he ran his pursuer drew closer and closer, no matter how much Nathan ran, the person only got closer. Nathan felt a hand on his shoulder and it pulled him back abruptly. The hand turns him around and Nathan looks into the eyes of his father, his father then proceeds to beat Nathan until he is practically dead. As he lay on the ground and his father prepares for the final blow, Nathan wakes up in a cold sweat. He shoots straight up from the ground and tries to lower his heart rate. He takes a deep breath and sighs. <em>It was only a dream, <em>he thought to himself. He had barely gotten any sleep and looked at the sky, the sun was just starting to rise and Nathan grumbled. He hated waking up early, but considering his nightmares, he wasn't really too excited to sleep again. Nathan took a look at his out of place clothes, which had gotten considerably dirty in the last two days; he decided he needed to clean up.

Nathan walked down to the stream, his duffle around his shoulder, thinking of getting some painting time in before they left. When Nathan reached the body of water, he stripped down to his boxers and started washing out his clothes. After getting all the dirt out, he set them on a clear rock to dry. He then proceeded to ease into the chilly water. As his chest reached the water his body stiffened and he shivered, but he knew he needed to clean up. Nathan dunked his whole head under and began to scrub himself down as best he could in the stream, until he heard steps approaching. Nathan stood frozen in the stream, not wanting anyone to see him; he then remembered that he was up to his chest in the water. As the footsteps grew closer, Nathan saw they belonged to Katara. She held a load of clothes in her arms and turned red when she saw Nathan.

"Oh! Nathan, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize anyone was here. I woke up early to do laundry before we left; I thought I would be the only one up." She explained quickly and Nathan laughed.

"Don't worry, I was just washing off, I still have some clothes on" Nathan said, all though he was quite flustered and his cheeks had a pink hue to them. He quickly hopped out of the stream and threw his clothes on quickly, despite still being wet. As Katara saw this she couldn't help, but laugh at the comical sight.

"Nathan, let me help you." Katara said, and with a few motions of her arms, all the excess water was off of him.

"Awesome, thanks so much, Katara!" Nathan said gratefully. He then picked up his duffle and looked at the sky, noticing it was still pretty early. "Say, about what time do you think we'll leave?"

"Well, after breakfast most likely, we pack up pretty fast, so I guess when everyone gets up, which knowing them won't be for a while." Katara said with a scoff, although there was a hint of jealousy in her voice. It was then Nathan realized, even though Sokka was the oldest, she was the responsible one. Katara was like a mother to all of them, she had to keep them together, keep them fed, and watch out for them. Nathan knew what is felt like to have to be the responsible one, to have to be the one who did everything for everyone.

"Hey Katara…" Nathan said, she turned.

"Yes?" She asked.

"It's just, I know I've only been with you guys for a couple days, but from what I've seen, I know you have a lot on your plate, and believe me, I know how it feels. I just want you to know, that if I can ever help, please don't hesitate to ask me, okay?" Nathan told her with understanding in his eyes. Katara stared at him, mouth open in disbelief of what she just heard. No one ever offered to do anything like that for her, she didn't get this guy.

"Thank you Nathan, that really means a lot. But right now, I just have some laundry and being a water bender; I can do it fairly quickly, go off and do what you really want. I see it in your eyes." Katara knew the look someone got in their eyes when they wanted to do something, she saw it in Aang when he would rather play then practice, and she saw it in Sokka when she made him unpack supplies when he just wanted to draw up maps and schedules. But Nathan's look, his was one of pain, like whatever he was going to do was a matter of life or death, Katara knew she needed to let him do whatever that was.

"Alright, if you say so Katara." Nathan smiled, nodded, and then ran off with his duffle, heading to the top of a small cliff. When he reached the top, Nathan marveled at the view. The cliff overlooked a beautiful forest, the sun rose perfectly above the trees. It was a perfect opportunity to work on his landscapes; he began pulling out paint supplies when he heard a small clink.

Nathan looked inside the bag and saw what it was, five glass bottles of hard liquor, and he had forgotten these were in here. He stole them from his parents, they didn't notice when their stash went down, and because they had so much alcohol they only paid attention to the amount of alcohol when it ran out. Nathan had started drinking six months ago, it helped him dull the pain, and it helped him avoid the world around him. He reached for the corkscrew he also kept in his bag and considered opening a bottle.

"No, you're better than this." Nathan told himself firmly and continued unloading his supplies. He then poured paint unto his pallet and started mixing colors, making them match the beautiful forest around him. After he had the colors, he started painting, brushstroke by brushstroke, his art came alive. You could see the wind that danced through the leaves of trees, the ground being disturbed by a small animal scurrying about. When his painting was finished, Nathan admired his work and decided it was one of his best landscapes. It looked so real, he was proud of himself. Setting the painting to dry, Nathan continued to enjoy the scenery around him, but a small voice in his head was nagging at him. The voice was telling him to get the bottle out of the bag, to down in with a few chugs and forget everything else.

Nathan couldn't resist the temptation. He liked this new world, but there was still too much for him to handle, alcohol would help him cope and Nathan knew that. He reached for the bottled and began to uncork it with the corkscrew. As he pulled out the cork he heard a voice behind him.

"What are you doing?" The voice said, and Nathan turned to see it was Katara. He quickly put the cork back on and shoved it in his bag.

"Umm I don't know what you mean, what are you doing?" Nathan tried to retort lamely.

"Well I was gonna get you for breakfast, and I looked for a while, now I see why you weren't around." Katara said.

"Look I can explain…" Nathan started.

"What's there to explain?" She asked. "I see no reason to apologize for being an awesome painter." She said with a huge smile, gesturing to his landscape.

"Oh…OHHHHH!" Ya, of course that's what you meant. Ha Ha, I knew that, I was just messing with you." Nathan tried to play it off.

Katara gave him a strange look then shook it off with a smile, "So you got anymore?"

Nathan began to pull out his others to show her, then remembered almost all the pictures were of her, and he really didn't wasn't to seem like a crazy stalker. "Uhh um, not really" Nathan said while scratching the back of his head, trying not to look at her.

"Oh, well come get breakfast" she said with disbelief in her voice, he knew she knew he wasn't being honest. Nathan respected that Katara gave him needed space, but he knew it would only last for so long.

"Let me pack up, and I'll be right down." He smiled at her and began putting his supplies. Katara sighed, then eventually cracked a smile and walked back to camp. Nathan put his supplies all away and then looked at the bottle in his bag, still contemplating on using it. He sighed with frustration, he was so confused, he wasn't sure he knew what he thought anymore. Nathan put his painting away, and then zipped up his bag. One thing he was certain of though was that he was hungry, and Nathan didn't like ignoring requests of his stomach.

Breakfast went normal as everyone talked about what they need for sure in the next town.

"Sokka! For the Third and Final time, we are not buying meat! Aang is a vegetarian, and we can't afford any meat anyway!" Katara said firmly. This caused both Sokka and Toph to throw a fit.

"Fine then! But what about Nathan's clothes?" Sokka asked as everyone, with the exception of Toph stared at Nathan.

"What's wrong with my clothes?" Nathan asked defensively.

"You're gonna stick out like a platypus bear in the Fire Nation army." Sokka told him. "You need normal clothing." Nathan sighed; he didn't want them to spend money on him.

"Guys, don't use your hard earned money on me, please." Nathan pleaded.

"Nonsense, part of being friends is buying stuff for them." Sokka said, at this Toph and Aang laughed, while Katara shook her head and giggled. Nathan sighed; there was no possible way to get through to these people. He just laughed along with them.

At the end of breakfast Nathan insisted on doing the dished so Katara could help pack up, after much insistence, she finally let him. Nathan carefully washed the dished until each was spotless; he admired his job well done and took the dishes to Katara.

"Thanks so much Nathan, I really appreciate the help." She gave him a warm thankful smile and Nathan couldn't help but return it.

As everyone finished loading up Appa, Nathan sat on the saddle, a bit unsure of what to expect, as soon as Appa took off , his breathe was taken away. His stomach had dropped, but not in a bad way, in more of a big drop on a coaster way, it was so exciting and wonderful that he couldn't help but grin goofily. Nathan also admired the clouds, which were now in touching distance, the sky which was even bluer up close, everything was so beautiful. But despite this grand sight, it didn't compare to when he looked over to Katara.

Nathan never understood what it was like to look at someone and know they were special, but with Katara it was different. He knew she would play and important role in his life, he knew she had the capability to do so much. When he looked at Katara, what he saw in her was something he hadn't seen before, something he thought he would never see, never have, she had hope. She had hope for tomorrow, hope for the future, hope for the gang, and hope for Nathan. This girl was unlike any he had met, this girl was special and he flashbacked to five years ago when he was ten.

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><p><em>Five years ago<em>

_The kind old woman sat in her rocker, with a young Nathan sitting cross legged on the floor in front of her. _

"_Nathan?" She asked sweetly._

"_Yes Grandma?" He responded with eagerness._

"_How do you feel about girls?" She asked him. Nathan wrinkled his nose, a look of disgust on his face._

"_Girls are gross Grandma!" Nathan said bitterly, as if the word itself was contaminated. His grandmother laughed at him and how he was such a typical little boy._

"_Yes, they may be gross now, but one day, Nathan, you will feel differently about girls, you'll want to impress them and make them like you." She explained._

"_Really?" The young boy said, surprise and disbelief filling his face. His grandmother nodded._

"_Now Nathan, can you promise me something?" He nodded enthusiastically, "Good, good. Now there will come_

_a time in your life when you will meet a special girl. You will realize it as soon as you meet her, she will be the most wonderful girl you ever meet. Nathan, I want you to help this girl out in every way you can, but you also need to let her help you. You need to be strong for her, but still let her see you cry, don't hide your tears from her. Don't tell her what she wants to hear, only tell her the truth, and tell her what she NEEDS to hear. Be her best friend, be her shoulder to cry on, be everything you can be for her, but most importantly, don't let her slip away. If you let her go, you'll never forgive yourself. Did you get all that?" She told him. Nathan only nodded, still soaking in what he just heard. His grandmother chuckled and gave him a warm smile._

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><p>As Katara sat on Appa's back, she couldn't stop stealing glances at Nathan. He looked like a little kid having the time of his life; this brought a smile to her face. The way he looked so innocent, so young, so free, his eyes weren't clouded with hurt, they were filled with utter joy. It was this that gave her hope for Nathan, hope that whatever haunted him, could be resolved, and he could have a chance at happiness. This boy was a mystery to her, but she knew he needed her. Katara's journey was with the Avatar, to help save the world, but to someone else, would if Nathan was their world. Katara then realized that out there, somewhere, someone needed Nathan. Someone was searching for him, someone needed him, and someone was destined to have him in their life.<p>

What Katara didn't realize though is that Nathan already found that person, but neither knew it yet.

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><p><strong>AN: Ya I know, you guys are just like: ...ok. Nathan's granmother will get mentioned more and she will be a recurring influence on many on Nathan's choices and actions, and since I forgot the disclaimer again I am gonna put it here because I am too lazy to scroll and click. I don't own Avatar, and I don't own the James Cameron one either, because if I did I would call it blue people, just so people wouldn't get confused when I talk about Avatar... Read, Review, and do whatever else you want, I don't really care. <strong>


	4. Shopping

**AN: Okay, I guess this is a little late, sorry about that, but I should have the next chapter up in only a few days. Anyway I don't own Avatar, I tried asking the people to give it to me, but apparently you need like money and lawyers and boring stuff like that, so I'll stick with this thing. So without farther ado what you have been waiting for, chapter four!**

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><p>After a while of flying on Appa the gang landed in a forest on the outskirts of a city. Everyone quickly unloaded their belongings.<p>

"Okay everyone" Katara said, "We are only buying things we NEED. I don't want anyone wasting our money." She passed out a list and money to everyone, glaring at Sokka as she handed him his. "Got that Sokka?"

"Yes, Katara, gosh you act like I'm gonna spend all our money." Sokka laughed and ran off before Katara could argue. Katara sighed and walked up to Nathan.

"Okay Nathan, this should be enough to get you an outfit, all you need is something simple, nothing fancy. When you finish up, head back here or you can go look around. If you get any change back, buy yourself a little something." She smiled and dropped the coins into his hand. She then pulled out her own list and looked at everything they needed to get. "I'm gonna need to do a lot of haggling." Katara mumbled. "Well, off to the market." She smiled.

"Well then, let's go" Nathan said, and followed Katara down to the market. When they reached the town, the streets were filled with various venders and booths. People were haggling with merchants, children were laughing and playing, a cabbage merchant was trying to keep some kids away from his stand.

"MY CABBAGES!" He yelled as the children knocked his merchandise down. Nathan laughed and took the whole scene in. He had never done something like this and felt a bit overwhelmed.

"You okay Nathan?" Katara asked. "You look really pale" She said; worry beginning to fill her voice.

"Oh no, I'm fine" Nathan assured her, "Just not quite used to shopping like this." He explained.

"Do you need any help finding your clothes?" Katara asked. Nathan shook his head.

"Naw I think I can handle myself." He flashed her a smile, "Besides, I think you have bigger problems." Nathan gestured to Sokka trying to haggle with the meat man. Katara sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Honestly, his obsession with meat is unhealthy." She said as she dragged her brother from the meat stand. Nathan chuckled and began walking, looking at all the stands.

"Gosh, this place is huge" Nathan said as he continued walking down the street. People gave Nathan strange looks, pointing at his clothes and nudging each other. Finally Nathan couldn't take it anymore and walked to the nearest booth, where a middle aged woman was selling various fruits. "Excuse me miss, do you know where the tailor is, or the seamstress, whatever you call it. Do you know where I can buy some clothes?" Nathan asked. The woman gave him a strange look then pointed down the street.

"Keep going straight, then go to the booth with the yellow tarp on your left, can't miss it." She gave him the directions then gave him another look. "Tell the man Maria sent you, he'll give you a nice deal" She smiled at him warmly.

"Thank you so much" Nathan smiled at her, and turned around to walk away.

"Make sure to get some good clothes boy, you stick out here, and they'll eat you up knowing you aren't from around these parts." She advised him. Nathan smiled at the woman.

"Thanks I'll be sure to." He then proceeded to jog away towards the booth in a hurry. The woman chuckled to herself.

"Such a nice young man, I just hope Lee doesn't scare him too much."

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><p>"Yellow tarp…yellow tarp." Nathan looked around until he spotted the booth with the bright yellow tarp like the woman told him. Finally he saw it, a booth with a yellow tarp, as he walked up to it; he saw many fabrics and clothes on display. Nathan saw the booth was empty. "Hello?" He called out.<p>

"Can I help you?" A deep voice said from behind Nathan. As he turned around he saw a tall man, well over six feet, with huge muscles, short brown hair, and brown eyes that were sizing up Nathan.

"Uh, I umm need some, uh…clothes." Nathan gulped at the brick wall in front of him. "Oh ya, Maria sent me!" He added in hopes it would lighten up the man. Luckily the second her name was said the man broke into a huge smile.

"Well then sir, let's find you some clothes." He brought Nathan to a rack that held many light green and yellow tunics, brown ones, and all the other earth nation colors that Nathan saw the locals wear.

"Umm do you have anything, that's not in these colors?" Nathan asked. The man looked at Nathan and thought for a moment, taking a look at Nathan's current attire.

"Maybe I have something that could suit your needs better." The man said. He walked into the back and came back with a pile of clothes. He pulled out a deep green undershirt first. Then he pulled out a plain black sleeveless tunic to wear over it. With that he also pulled out black bottoms and simple brown boots. Nathan examined the clothes; he liked them, but didn't understand why the bottom shirt was green.

"They're perfect, but a green shirt under? Why not black or white?" Nathan asked.

"I was originally going to pull out a white shirt, but something stopped me." The man gestured to Nathan's eyes. "You boy, have incredible eyes. I have never seen a green that color before, which is why I pulled out the green shirt. It only makes your eyes more noticeable." The man explained. Nathan couldn't help, but wonder how a man like this was a tailor, or how he knew so much about clothes.

"Well, I think these will work well, thank you sir, and good luck with, uhhh this." Nathan put a few coins on the counter. "Will this do?" He asked. The man smiled and took the money.

"Thank you for your business, I suggest you get those on as quick as possible." Nathan said his thanks and walked away from the man. He wasn't sure if that guy would hug him or break his face, Nathan really didn't want to stick around. As Lee watched the boy walk away he let out a laugh. "My wife sure does send some of the strangest kids." He laughed to himself, the boy had shorted him quite a bit, but he let it slide. "Crazy kid" He mumbled.

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><p>Nathan let out a sigh of relief when he had walked far from the booth; he decided to get into his new clothes as soon as possible. He slipped into a nearby tea shop and asked a worker where the restroom was. The worker gave him a strange look.<p>

"Um, if you mean the washroom, it's right back there." The busboy said.

"Thank you sir." Nathan said and walked towards the washroom. He knocked on the door, when no one answered he walked in and quickly changed his clothes. Nathan emerged from the room; he was surprised at how comfortable the clothes were. They were soft and didn't limit his movements, they weren't super tight, but weren't really baggy either. He smiled at how comfortable they were. He put his old clothes under his arm and left the shop. Looking at his money, he saw he still had a generous amount of coins left, and decided to check out some other stalls.

Nathan walked along, seeing various vendors selling food, accessories, teas, and even some weapons. These only mildly interested Nathan, but what caught his eye was a small booth with only an old man sitting at it. The old man was seated on a stool he had grey thinning hair, and wore the same green attire as the other villagers. Nathan walked closer and watched, the man was sitting in front of a canvas, a flower sat upon the table in front of him, and in his hand was a brush with only black paint. What Nathan saw next took his breath away. The man used light delicate strokes, sweeping across the page, his hands were a blur. Nathan saw the picture take shape, the delicate petals of the flower, the way the sunlight shone down upon it, and the way it looked as if he could reach out and touch it. Nathan stood transfixed until the man finished, and he turned around to Nathan.

"Can I help you son?" He asked in a wise wispy voice.

"Your painting…it's beautiful" Nathan whispered. The old man smiled, his eyes gleaming with pride.

"Why thank you son, I see you have an eye for art. Do you paint?" He asked.

"Yes, I do. But I can't paint anything like that." Nathan said.

"Boy I've been painting for forty years, if you could paint as well as me, I'd be pretty impressed." The old man chuckled.

"Can you show me some techniques? Or at least give me some advice?" Nathan asked hopefully. The old man sat back and studied Nathan carefully, as he watched the boy and his eagerness to learn, the man realized something. This kid reminded him of himself, his love for art, his excitement to learn more, and his appreciation for a good painting.

"Okay, let me give you some advice. Painting, like swordsmanship, is an ancient art. Your brush, like the sword, is an extension of yourself and your very being. Each stroke you make cannot be erased, so you must think carefully before you do." The old man watched Nathan and saw he hung on to every word. He smiled and continued. "Now, each stroke made, can be made in a different way, much like fighting, or bending. Each element can strike you, but all in a different way. Like earth, you may be blunt and to the point with your strokes, painting everything you see. Like water, you can let the canvas guide you, and use it to express your thoughts with ease. Like fire you can paint with a burning passion, attacking the canvas with quick fiery strokes. Or, like air, you can take an indirect approach, open up to your surroundings, have an open mind, and paint with light gentle strokes." Nathan nodded his head in understanding and the old man continued. "All of these are great techniques in themselves, but when used together, they create a true work of art." The man finished.

"I think…I think I understand." Said Nathan. The old man smiled.

"I'm glad I could be off assistance, now young man, work hard, and never stop painting." The old man ordered. Nathan nodded and stood up, but the man stopped him. "Wait, before you leave, take these." The old man walked behind a counter and pulled out a box, handing it to Nathan.

"What's this?" Nathan asked.

"Paints, so you can practice." The man smiled and Nathan opened the box. Inside were multiple containers of black paints.

"I can't accept these from you, sir." Nathan said, trying to hand them back, but the man pushed them away.

"Now you take those boy, they're a gift, so you better take them." He said sternly.

"Okay, okay." Nathan said, holding up his hands in defeat.

"Now get out of my shop!" The old man snapped at him.

"Uh, y-yes sir." Nathan dashed out of the shop tripping over his feet as the old man watched with a chuckle.

"Yup, just like me." The old man said with a smile as he sat down and continued to paint.

Nathan walked as far away from the paint shop as possible, the old man seemed nice, but Nathan was pretty sure he was crazy. Nathan looked at the left over coins in his hand, he wasn't sure what the currency was here, but it seemed like a good sum of money. As Nathan walked along and examined the stalls, one in particular caught his eye, it sold wrappings. He walked up to the booth and saw many kinds of wrappings, for arms, body, legs, and head. Nathan looked at the arm wrappings and decided to try a pair on. He wrapped a pair of deep green wrappings to match his undershirt around his arms. Nathan smiled and took a few practice punches; he felt like a karate master, he was living every little boy's dream. As Nathan continued experimenting with the wrappings, the vendor came to him.

"Can I help you boy?" A short angry looking man asked.

"Oh um, ya, can I like buy these?" Nathan pointed at his wrappings.

The man gave him a strange look, like Nathan spoke a different language, "Can you afford them?"

"Will this be enough?" Nathan held out a handful of coins and the man snatched them up greedily.

"Now scram, kid." The vendor ordered. Nathan obliged and left the shop. He figured he should probably head back to the camp site, but at that moment he saw a girl struggling with an armful of foods.

"Here let me help." Nathan said as he ran over and picked up the girl's groceries. When he took them from her he was met with the beautiful blue eyes he still wasn't used to seeing.

"Oh Nathan, thank you so much." Katara said with a smile. "I see you got new clothes, they suit you well, I really like the green it goes well with your…" She looked into his eyes, "…eyes."

Time seemed to freeze around them; Nathan couldn't bear to look away from Katara. With her blue eyes looking into his green ones he felt like he couldn't move. His whole body froze, and something in him seemed to click as he looked at Katara. This girl standing in front of him was a one of a kind, this girl saved his life, this girl did something no one ever did in his life she believed in him. After what felt like an eternity, Nathan looked away, blushing a deep red.

"We should, get…going." He said with a gulp. Katara shook her head and looked at him sheepishly.

"Ya, I think you're right, let's go." She said with a smile on her face as she began to walk back. "So Nathan, did you find everything okay?" She asked from in front of him.

"Shopping, was…interesting, I met some strange people." Nathan said remembering the people he met.

Katara giggled, "Ya I guess a market can be overwhelming to someone who isn't used to this kind of thing."

Nathan smiled, "I guess I'm just not good at much."

"Nonsense, you're good at something, you just have to find it." Katara said.

"If you say so…" Nathan replied. He couldn't help, but smile bigger at her optimism; he wondered how she always was so happy, whatever the case he admired her for it.

As they approached the campsite no one was back yet, Katara sighed as she set down the stuff. "Well, guess I better get started on lunch" She said, and began to unload ingredients.

"Can I help?" Nathan asked. Katara looked at him with a shocked expression on her face.

"Um, I guess, if you really want to." She said, still in shock that someone was actually offering to help her cook. Nathan nodded and began to help unload. As they cooked he listened to all of Katara's directions, never questioning her, only helping. Nathan also took this as an opportunity to get to know Katara better, he learned a bit about her past and that she lived in the South Pole with her grandmother and Sokka. He learned that the necklace around her neck belonged to her mother; Katara didn't seem comfortable with the subject, so Nathan left it alone. He also learned her favorite color, her favorite hobbies, and that she secretly liked Sokka's jokes.

Katara smiled at Nathan, as they finished making the stew. "You know," She said "You are one of the nicest cooking partners I've ever had."

"Glad I could be of assistance" He grinned at her. Nathan turned from her and reached to the pot, wanting to adjust it so it sat over the fire better. As he did so, Katara yelled out a warning, but it was too late, he had touched the pot, and the second he did his hand felt like it was on fire. "OW! FREAKING OW! THAT DANG POT IS HOT!" Nathan yelled as he held his burned hand.

"Here, let me see" Katara said gently, taking his hand gingerly. As her hand touched his he winced, but Katara held on, and from her water pouch bent a small amount of water which slid over her hands like gloves. She then pressed his hand between both of hers and a flash of blue light shined. Nathan instantly felt relief rush over his hands.

"Better?" Katara asked, still holding his hand.

"Much" He said "Thank you"

"No problem, it's the least I can do" She smiled and they stood there, his hand and both of hers, looking at each other.

"Is my hand all healed now?" Nathan asked quietly.

Katara released him instantly, "Sorry, just making sure you were completely safe." She said sheepishly, turned away so he couldn't see how much she was blushing. Nathan chuckled, but his hand felt empty now without Katara's around his. He sighed and wished he didn't say anything. As Nathan reminisced and mentally beat himself up, voices began approaching the camp site.

"Well, looks like everyone's back, I guess it's time for lunch." Nathan said, looking at Katara.

She smiled, "Let's eat; I'm so hungry I could eat a sabertooth moose lion." She stated with a grin. Nathan smiled at her and chuckled, but couldn't help, but wonder, _A sabertooth what?_

* * *

><p>Lunch went fairly normal and well, no one overspent at the market and they all got what was needed on Katara's list. Everything was going fine until Katara looked at Nathan with a worried expression.<p>

"Nathan are you okay, you look kind of pale." She asked.

"I feel fine." Nathan said, but his hands were beginning to shake and he had a killer headache pounding his head.

"Are you sure, maybe you should lie down?" She said gently.

"Yah Nathan, you don't look good buddy." Sokka added.

"You should rest…" Aang suggested.

"Your heart rate has spiked quite a bit." Toph informed him.

"I said I'M FINE!" Nathan snapped. He stood up suddenly and threw his bowl to the ground. "I'm not even hungry anymore, I'm going to go be alone, so let me be that way!" Nathan stormed off, not even looking back at the shocked expressions of his friends.

No one was quite sure what had just happened, so no one said a word. Nathan was perfectly fine, and then he just snapped, it seemed like he hit a major mood swing. Katara was seriously worried about him, she wasn't sure what Nathan was going to do, and she could only hope he wouldn't do anything reckless.

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><p>As Nathan passed by Appa, he tore his duffle bag from the saddle and walked deeper into the woods. Once a safe distance away, he opened his duffle and pulled out escape. The one thing that would save him, that could give him sweet relief and make him feel a thousand times better, Alcohol. Nathan opened the glass bottle and let the sweet relief was over his whole body. The second that drink hit his tongue he already felt better. Nathan drank and drank until he had half of the bottle down. His mind was already going hazy, he wasn't really sure where he was or what was going on, but he was happy with that. In Nathan's eyes, feeling nothing at all was better than feeling anything else. These were his last thoughts before he passed out.<p>

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><p><strong>AN: So review and tell me what you think of the story, or the chapter, either one depending on what you want to do. <strong>

**Oh yes, and I would like to blame my brothers for you not getting this chapter sooner, they sucked me into playing mario party last night, and you HAVE to play Mario Party, duh. Anyway that is all, have fun.**


	5. Wishes of Death

**AN: This is a short chapter, but I feel like it says quite a bit, not really sure how I feel about it. Just read it.**

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><p>Katara didn't sleep at all that night, after Sokka, Aang, and Toph went to bed, telling her not to worry about Nathan, she still did. Katara stayed up, waiting, long after the fire burned out, waiting for the boy with the green eyes to pop out of the forest and help her clean up the dinner he missed. She waited for him to appear with his hesitant smile, his dark hair hanging in his eyes, his caring voice that rarely rose. She waited for that boy to come, to come and explain his behavior earlier, apologize for his actions, anything at all. But no such boy appeared, and Katara was worried. Despite his insistence on being alone, Katara knew something was wrong. Katara knew Nathan had problems, he still didn't open up to her, but she still couldn't let an unstable and confused person be alone for so long. As Katara walked through the dark forest, her concern grew more and more. Each sound she heard only caused her a more vivid and horrific fantasy of Nathan being hurt or injured. She started to speed up, each second Nathan growing farther from her grasp, she needed to know he was okay, she needed to help him. Katara ran until she tripped over a big object. As she hit the ground and looked back, in the dark she could make out the shape of a human.<p>

"Nathan!" She exclaimed with joy and relief. The body didn't respond. Katara checked his pulse and confirmed he was alive, out cold, but alive. She pulled Nathan up and grabbed his duffle, as she pulled him she heard an object hit the ground and roll. "No use looking for it at this time…" She said to herself. Making sure Nathan was secure on her back; Katara began to drag him towards the camp.

"Why is it, that whenever I look for you, you're passed out?" She asked the unconscious boy on her back. As they reached the camp, she laid him down on a blanket and sighed, gently touching his forehead. "You're a mystery to me; you're the one thing in my life that makes no sense at all. I dreamed about you before we met, and now that you're here, I only want to help you more. You're so sweet, so great, please Nathan, let me in. I want to know who you are" She gently kissed his forehead and lay next to him, falling asleep to the sound of his slow steady breaths.

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><p>Nathan woke up the next morning with one thing on his mind. He felt like crap. He sat up groggily and looked around, the sun was too bright and hurt his eyes, the sounds of the fire crackling with the boiling pot of water on it was too loud, and his head throbbed with pain.<p>

"What a night…or I guess I started in the afternoon." Nathan then came to a realization. "How did I get back here?" He pondered out loud.

"That would be courtesy of sweetness" Toph said as she sat with her feet propped up on a rock, picking her ear wax.

"Katara brought me back?" He asked, surprise in his voice, Nathan had grown accustomed to Toph's nicknames for everyone, and he luckily avoided one.

"Yup, didn't stop worrying about you the second you left. All we had to do was say your name and her heart rate would raise like crazy." Toph said as she began picking her toes.

"Oh" was all Nathan could say.

"You know" Toph started, "Ever since you got here, Katara has been thrown outta wack. You mess up her flow, she was so used to having things done her way, then you got here and that all changed. Your kindness and willingness to help with menial chores confuses her to no end. The way you act so secretive and won't let her know what's up bugs her and drives her up the wall." Toph grinned, "And I love it!"

"I don't mean to…." Nathan said quietly. Toph started laughing.

"Oh believe me I know, everything you do is sincere and honest." She explained, "But there is a part of you that hides something, I feel it. When anything is brought up about your random mood swings or the world you came from your heart rate skyrockets, you get all sweaty, and you start to shiver…in pain." Toph added.

"I can explain!" Nathan said defensively. Toph held up her hand.

"No need to, I don't really care, but whatever is in those bottles in your bag better be something you don't mind Sweetness finding, because believe me, she'll find it." Toph then stood up and left to go do her Toph activities.

Nathan sat in disbelief of the conversation he just had, his head was still throbbing, but the withdraw symptoms he was having yesterday stopped, and he was thankful for that. Nathan sat staring at the fire until he heard footsteps and saw Katara coming to him.

"Oh good, you're up." She smiled and said sweetly. "How you feeling?" She asked.

"Horrible." Nathan replied as he shielded his eyes from the sun.

"Well I did find you passed out in the woods. Why were you even out there?" Katara looked at him.

"Uhhhhhh, I was thinking, and hit my head, on a tree….ya" Nathan said weakly trying to cover up.

"Oh" Katara said her voice with suspicion but not prying farther. Katara then fed Nathan and he slept the day away until night came, and he was practically back to normal, and everyone else was asleep.

Katara had left the fire going for Nathan, and then went to sleep herself. Nathan sat up, feeling better then earlier in the afternoon, and decided to try some painting. He painted some flowers, he painted the dying fire, he painted Appa, and then Momo. By the time Nathan had finished up, the sun was rising, so he packed up his paintings.

* * *

><p>The days that came after were strange ones indeed. Nathan would be fine for a few days, then he would suddenly start freaking out and snapping at people, he would then disappear and be found passed out that night. After this had gone on for a week, Katara confronted him, in front of everyone while they ate dinner.<p>

"So Nathan, what's been going on with you lately?" Katara asked, trying to keep her irritation at him as subtle as possible.

"What do you mean?" Nathan asked.

"You know exactly what I mean." She said, her voice staying level.

"I really don't" Nathan said. Toph, Sokka, and Aang didn't say a word, afraid of getting involved but not wanting to miss the action.

"The way you've been perfectly fine one day, then the next we find you passed out in the woods with your bag! Then the day after you're completely useless because all you do is sleep! We saved your life, took you in, and this is how you're repaying us! Sure you help out some, but you're more of a hindrance that a help!" Katara exploded at him, standing up and looking down at him. Nathan stood up too, facing her and putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Katara, do you really feel like this?" He asked his voice soft and gentle.

"Yes!" She yelled fuming with anger.

"I hope you realize that I appreciate everything you did for me. But Katara I never asked to be saved, I never asked you to save my life." Nathan said. "Did it occur to you that maybe I was planning on dying that night? That the only reason I am here is because some magic spirit girl at a fish pond sent me here? Did you ever think that maybe my life was so bad, I had to resort to extreme measures and that if I didn't continue using them I would hurt myself even more?" As he asked, his gaze never left her face. "Thank you Katara, for everything, but I was never meant to live."

The tension in the air was thick; no one even dared to breath. Katara was speechless and everyone else just stared, eyes open in shock. Toph was the first to say something.

"Well I'm hitting the hay" She said with a fake yawn, then left to go sleep.

"Uh ya me too." Sokka said.

"What is that Appa, you need me buddy, okay night guys." Aang ran off.

Nathan then picked up all of the dishes and began to scrub them out one by one with a bowl of water. Katara didn't stop him; she simply walked away as far from everyone else as she could. Katara sat down on a rock and stared up at the moon; tears filled her eyes, and streamed down her face. She couldn't believe someone hated their life so much they wanted to die. How could someone wish that upon themselves? She had no clue what to do, how to help Nathan or anything. She cried harder, feeling helpless wishing there was something she could do, but she felt like there was nothing.

Nathan sat down and let the dishes dry. He thought of what happened earlier and felt bad. He knew she only wanted to help, he knew she had no clue what was wrong with him, and he wasn't helping at all by not letting her in. Nathan sighed, he knew he needed to let her in, but he just couldn't, it hurt too much. It was his problem; he needed to deal with it himself. Nathan reached into his duffle, and pulled out the first painting he did of Katara, it still bugged him how he messed up on the eyes. Nathan stared at the painting as he fell asleep.

After Katara finished crying, she finally headed back to camp, hoping Nathan was asleep, she couldn't deal with him at that time. When she reached the campsite she was relieved to see him asleep with a painting on his chest. She smiled a bit to herself and picked up the painting, gasping as she looked at it. It was her. It was so life like and it was so well done. As she admired the painting, something caught her attention. Something was odd about the painting. First of all the paper wasn't like any she had seen, but she knew Nathan brought some from his world. But the biggest thing that stuck out to her was her clothes. She was wearing sleeves, and had on her fur lined boots. She was dressed in clothes she hadn't worn since the siege of the Northern Water Tribe.

"How could he have had the time to paint me in this…if he's never even seen me in it?" Katara asked herself, dropping the painting next to him and running to her sleeping bag as quickly as possible. She wanted to be as far away from that suicidal maniac as possible. But as she eventually grew tired and started to doze off, something hit her.

"I dreamed of green eyes…he dreamed of blue" She mumbled, finally giving in to the sweet release of sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ya... Anyhoo we will be going into the desert in I believe the next chapter, or I could change my mind again and have some other random crazy crap happen. Who knows, I might just blow everyone up... Kidding!...maybe<strong>


	6. Breaking Walls

**An: It's been a while since I updated, so I gave you guys a bit of a longer chapter. I hope you enjoy it. **

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><p>Nathan awoke to the bright sun in the middle of the sky. He knew it had to be noon. When he slept well, Nathan could sleep for a long time, he preferred to go to sleep when the sun started rising, night just interested him far too much. Nathan rolled on to his side and realized he was still cradling the painting of Katara.<p>

"Shoot!" He quickly hid it in his duffle and looked around. Everyone seemed to be out and about. He figured they were all training. Nathan decided he needed to clear his mind; the previous night's events were still fresh in his mind. Nathan opened his duffle and to his complete and utter horror, realized a terrifying fact. The liquor was gone.

"No no no no NO!" He dug through the bag furiously, but saw all the bottles drained of their contents. He needed to think of something, and quick. Nathan thought and then realized something; there was a town, nearby, with a market. They had to have some type of alcohol, right?

Nathan strapped on his duffle and bolted from camp, passing Sokka as he did, yelling, "Gotta go to town, be back in a bit." Sokka scratched his head in confusion and then went back to studying his maps.

* * *

><p>Nathan ran as fast as his legs would take him, once he entered town, he realized his other problem. He had no money. Nathan cursed under his breath and tried to think, there had to be a way to get money quick. He looked at the duffle over his shoulder, now was a good a time as any to see just how good a painter he was.<p>

Nathan stood at an empty spot on the busy street and took out his paintings one by one, leaving the ones of Katara and the coy fish in his bag. He propped the paintings up and stood there awkwardly, trying to wonder how to sell them, luckily a woman walked up.

"Excuse me young man, are these paintings for sale?" she asked him.

"Uh….ya" Nathan said dumbly.

"How much?" she looked at him. Nathan wasn't sure what to say, he still wasn't familiar with the currency, he had figured out the basics with copper, silver, and gold. He decided to wing it as best he could.

"Depends which one you're interested in." Nathan said, having no clue what he was doing. She pointed at the landscape he had done of the forest.

"That one, of the forest, it's so beautiful and well done." She pulled out a purse with change inside.

"Oh that one, yes one of my better ones, um that'll be, five…silver pieces….?" He said hesitantly, almost questioning himself.

"Oh my, a fine deal indeed, I will take it." She gave Nathan the coins and walked off with her painting. Nathan looked at the coins in his hand, not sure if he just made money, or got ripped off. Nathan continued to sell his paintings, some making seven or eight silver pieces, others making three of four. All went well until someone questioned him about his painting of Appa.

"Say, isn't that the Avatar's bison?" A middle aged man asked.

"Uh…yes, yes it is." Nathan started, "I um saw the Avatar once and he um saved my village, so I painted his bison…?" Nathan said quickly. The man eyed Nathan then the painting.

"I'll take it." He gave Nathan some coins and walked off before Nathan could say a word.

"Oh…okay then…thank you." Nathan said as he watched the man. That was his last painting, and Nathan had a generous share of coins. "Time to go get me some alcohol." Nathan smiled to himself.

He walked up and down the streets, mostly enjoying the hustle and bustle of the city. He looked around for any kind of a sign of alcohol, but couldn't find any. Finally Nathan stumbled upon a gold mine. The booth had a deep purple tarp, and inside were bottles of different colors and looks. Nathan had fallen into alcohol heaven. A short stout woman eyed him as he entered the booth

"This is no place for children, get out." The woman barked.

"I'm no child" Nathan explained, and held up his coins, "I'm a paying customer. Now point me to the strongest stuff you got."

The lady grinned at the sight of money, "Of course of course, sir. Allow me to show you one of our, more potent brews." She pulled out a green bottle with the earth kingdom seal on it. "Made with some special ingredients, this stuff knocks a full grown earthbender down in a few shots." She said with a sly grin.

Nathan slammed his coins down on the table, "How many can I get with this?"

The lady looked over the coins and counted them out. She mulled over the coins then looked back at Nathan. "Four bottles." She said shortly.

"I'll take them." Nathan said almost out of breath. She took the coins and Nathan placed the bottles in his duffle.

Happy to have his alcohol back, Nathan walked through the streets more, not quite ready to deal with Katara yet.

Katara.

Just the name alone was enough to send a wave of emotions through his body. She was the most amazing, beautiful, talented, spirited, and brilliant girl he had ever met.

_And she thinks I'm some kind of suicidal monster. _Nathan thought bitterly. _And I am, there's no use denying it, I'm a hopeless excuse for a human. _These thoughts ran through Nathan's head as he sat down to catch his breath. He sat at a table outside for a tea shop, not realizing the table was occupied.

"Oh, I'm sorry sir; I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing." Nathan said getting up. The man stopped him, holding up his hand.

"Please sit, I could use some company." The man said. Nathan listened and sat. The man sipped a cup of tea; he was elderly with a grey bushy beard, a balding head, and a big belly. His eyes were kind, and the man had a wise calming presence. "So, what troubles you, young artist?"

"Huh? How do you know I paint?" Nathan asked, confusion in his eyes.

The man let out a deep chuckle, "I only have been in town for a day, and I have heard of the green eyed painter with the strange bag." He gestured to Nathan's duffle.

"But I've only sold my paintings today…" Nathan explained.

"News travels fast in small towns" The man said, "I saw some of your paintings, and they are quite nice. Such talent for a young one." Nathan couldn't help but beam at this. "Now, what has you so upset that you would sit with a stranger?" The man asked, his gold eyes glittering with wisdom.

Nathan wasn't sure what it was that got him to talk to the man, but whatever it was, Nathan talked. "You see, I'm not really a native to these parts. I come from a land far away, and my parents aren't exactly the nicest people….." Nathan explained his drinking problems, "It seems to be the only thing I can turn to now in life, I feel like I have nothing else." Then he finally came to Katara, "And now, there's a girl in the picture. She, she's amazing, and spectacular, and I think, I think, I might be starting to fall for her. But she could never feel anything for me, I don't deserve her…" Nathan said, putting his head down.

The old man listened never interrupting, and once Nathan finished he put a hand on his shoulder. Nathan looked up at the man. He spoke, his voice soft and caring, "Right now, in life, you are on your own path, and you're struggling to find who you are. You met these people for a reason; they are here to help you. You now have someone to turn to, and as far as the girl goes, don't tell yourself you don't deserve her. Show her you care, for love is the best thing someone can have. A life without love is like a cup of cold tea. Though it still has flavor, it is cold and offers no comfort to the one who drinks from it. You control your destiny, and who you will be."

Nathan looked at the man in awe, he didn't judge Nathan, and in fact he had given him amazing advice. "Wow, thank you so much sir, thank you. That was great advice." Nathan realized something, he had to see Katara, and he had to apologize. The man smiled.

"You also have great skills, you are a great painter, and I imagine a great bender, use those skills to your advantage." The man advised.

"Oh, I think you have me mixed up with someone else" Nathan explained "I'm not a bender."

"Are you sure?" The man turned his head sideways "I could have sworn…"

Nathan shook his head, "I just don't have and bending ability, sorry"

The man only smiled again, "One cannot know, until he tries."

Nathan paused, _maybe_ he thought. Nathan shook his head and looked at the man, "Maybe sir, anyways I need to run, thank you for everything." He stood up and bowed quickly like he'd seen others do. Nathan then turned to walk away, but then quickly thought of something. He opened his duffle, and pulled out his painting of the coy fish. He set it in front of the man "For believing in me" He said, then turned and walked off quickly.

Iroh watched to boy walk off, "So confused, so lost, so full of hurt, so much like Zuko, but yet…he isn't." The man sighed, "May you find your path…" He then looked down at the painting the boy left him. He gasped, it was the coy pond, the same one he watched the girl become the moon at. Iroh felt tears fill his eyes and he hugged the painting close to him, he would treasure it forever. It would serve as a reminder to him, of what cruelty humans were capable of.

* * *

><p>Nathan jogged back to camp and saw the one person he needed to see, Katara. She was cleaning up the lunch Nathan had missed.<p>

Katara sighed as she picked up all the dishes, _they eat like animals_, she thought. She stood up after collecting the dishes when she felt two arms wrap around her waist and lift her up.

"Eep!" she squealed. The arms flipped her around, and she saw it was Nathan grabbing her. "Nathan! "What are you-" Katara couldn't finish because she was pulled into a crushing embrace. His warm breath tickled her ear, and she felt goose bumps appear on her skin.

"I'm so, so sorry, for everything, Katara." He whispered. She returned the hug and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Of course I can, I was just so out of line and confused and so mad you weren't letting me in…" She started

"Katara, I'm letting you in now, I want to tell you, about….me" Nathan said. She gasped and looked up at him.

"Really, really…you will?" She asked him, not quite believing him.

"Yes, but not now, tonight though." Nathan smiled.

Katara nodded, "I'm holding you to that." She said, poking him in the chest, hard.

"I expect you to." He chuckled, "But first, I need to talk to everyone."

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><p>After everyone was gathered together Nathan stood in front of them. He looked around and cleared his throat, "Okay, first of all I'd like to apologize for my inappropriate behavior last night and my outburst. I hope you guys can forgive me." He said sincerely.<p>

Toph put her hands behind her head, "Hey I'm fine with it, and as long as you aren't crazy I don't really care." She smirked.

Sokka nodded in agreement, "As long as no one's in danger, I'm not mad."

Aang smiled, "I was never mad at you, but thanks for asking us to forgive you, I'm honored."

Nathan beamed, they were like one big family, and he considered himself very lucky to know all of them. Nathan then looked around and spoke, "And the other thing I wanted to tell you, is that….I want to see if I'm….a bender." Everyone looked at him.

"Nathan…" Sokka started, "You came from another world, and I don't think there's bending there." Everyone murmured in agreement. Nathan held up his hand.

"That's what I thought at first, but now I'm not so sure. I was recently enlightened, and I truly believe I have the potential of being a bender." Nathan persisted.

Nathan was greeted with silence, except for Toph who was picking her ears. She flicked the ball of wax away and stood up. "Well I don't know about you guys, but if we can bring another bender on our team I'm okay with that. We don't need another Snoozles around here…."

"Hey!" Sokka cried out in protest, but Toph was already dragging Nathan away.

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><p>Nathan stood with Toph in front of a massive boulder; Toph punched it and sent it flying across the ground and into a rock formation. Nathan gulped. Toph turned to him "Okay, listen up!" She barked at him, "It's time to show me what you're made of and if you have what it takes to be an earthbender! Understand?"<p>

Nathan nodded, "Uh yes…ma'am!"

Toph smirked and showed Nathan her horse stance, "Now get into a horse stance." He mimicked her stance. "Square your shoulders!" He obeyed and Toph nodded. "Now! You see that rock?" She asked, pointing to a boulder a few inches from Nathan.

"Ya" Nathan answered.

"Good, now send it flying like I did before. Just take your stance, breathe, and punch!" She said, sending another rock flying in front of her.

"Um…okay." Nathan adjusted his stance, took a deep breath and punched with all his might, fist connecting with rock.

…..

…

…

…..

"OWWWWWW!" Nathan yelled, his hand being crushed from punching the huge rock. Toph shook her head.

"Weak" She said, "Sorry Nathan, you aren't an earthbender, you're too delicate, like a flower, like a….daffodil" A sly smirk spread on her face, "Maybe you'd be better off as an Airbender, Daffodil."

Nathan groaned, he was familiar with Toph's nickname system, and it looked like he had finally been given one, Daffodil. Nathan mentally slapped himself, his hand throbbing, as he walked off from Toph who was laughing to herself.

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><p>Back at the campsite, Nathan sat and examined his hand, it was swollen pretty badly and pain burned through it. Katara approached him.<p>

"Hey Nathan, how did…." She saw his hand, "Nathan! What happened?" Katara asked, worry filling her voice.

Nathan gave a weak smile, "Let's just say I'm not an earthbender." Katara held back a smile, but firmly chastised him as she began to heal his hand.

"And that's why you do not go punching rocks!" She finally finished her rant as she finished healing Nathan's hand.

Nathan smiled, "Well if you hold my hand every time I punch a rock, maybe I should do it more often." He said raising an eyebrow.

Katara looked down and noticed their linked hands, despite his no longer needing healing. She blushed furiously and turned away, "Shouldn't you be trying airbending or something?" She asked as she began focusing on her shoes.

Nathan laughed and stood up, "Thank you doctor Katara, I'll be sure to take good care of my hand." And with that he left, Katara was left blushing furiously.

"How does he, of all people, manage to make me feel…like this?" She asked herself, as the butterflies in her stomach started settling down.

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><p>Nathan found Aang in a clearing, practicing his earthbending skills. He turned to Nathan and had a big smile on his face. "Hey Nathan," He waved, "So you came to try out Airbending huh?"<p>

"Yes," Nathan said and then grinning sheepishly added, "This won't crack my hand like the rock did, will it?"

Aang laughed, his laugh was filled with pure joy and amusement, Nathan couldn't help but smile. "No last I checked, no one got hurt trying to airbend…I think" He pondered the thought then shrugged, "Oh well, I guess we'll see."

Nathan was a bit apprehensive about it, but Aang assured him it was the best thing to do. Nathan stood on one foot on top of a rock pillar Aang made. Aang stood on one opposite to him in a similar position.

"Okay Nathan, now airbend me down using the motions I taught you, without falling down yourself." Aang shouted. Nathan wobbled on his foot, trying to stay balanced.

"Ummm, ya, okay, I'll do that…" Nathan took a deep breathe, went through the motions like Aang said and pushed his hands with all his might, ready to release a mighty gust of wind.

Instead of a mighty gust, Nathan managed to instead lose his balance, falling off the pillar and landing on his shoulder before Aang could catch him. Aang jumped off and used airbending to cushion his descent. "So ya, Nathan you can't airbend, and I think you answered you're earlier question, and managed to dislocate your shoulder." He offered Nathan his hand which Nathan took. "Want me to bring you to Katara." Aang offered.

Nathan shook his head, "No thanks, I'll make it, thanks for letting me try to airbend though." Aang smiled.

"No problem, want to try learning waterbending from me too?" Aang asked hopefully.

"Umm, well Katara IS a master waterbender, so I think I'll ask her, but thanks Aang" Nathan said as he walked away. Aang smiled and waved, then went back to practice.

* * *

><p>"Again?" Katara asked as Nathan came back holding his shoulder.<p>

Nathan sat down and sighed, "So turns out I'm not an airbender…." He smiled.

Katara shook her head and placed a hand on his shoulder, she felt around as Nathan grunted in pain. "Hmm, yes, it's dislocated alright, I'll have to set it back into place." She stood facing him and placed both hands on his shoulder. Nathan squinted as she took a deep breath and then pushed with one fluid motion.

"OWW!" Nathan exclaimed as he shoulder popped back into place. Katara had overestimated her push and ending up falling into Nathan as she fixed his shoulder. Nathan secured her by the wait and smirked. "You just can't keep your hands off me" He said playfully. That earned him a smack in the shoulder, but Katara still blushed furiously. She pushed herself off him and turned around.

"Come on" She commanded "Let's see what kind of waterbender you are." Nathan followed her, a triumphant grin on his face.

Katara felt her still warm cheeks and stole a glance at Nathan; she tried to calm her racing heart, but was failing badly. _What's wrong with me?_ She thought.

* * *

><p>Katara stood waist deep in the creek, Nathan stood at the shoreline taking off his shoes. He then started to wade in. "Wait, Nathan, you're not gonna take your shirt or pants off?" She questioned, because she was only in her wrappings, which she usually wore when in the water.<p>

"Do you want me to take my clothes off?" Nathan retorted, a grin appearing on his face.

"NO!" Katara said defensively, "It's just that you and your clothes… and wet…" she felt herself get flustered and Nathan chuckled.

"I believe taking off my clothes might be a bit much for you so I'll leave them on." He smirked and waded in behind her. Her face was bright red, and she shot daggers at him. The real reason Nathan didn't want to take his clothes off was because of the many scars that littered his torso from the countless beatings he received. He didn't want Katara to think any worse of him then she already did.

"Okay Nathan, I'm gonna show you a basic waterbending move, you just push and pull the water, like so." She moved her hands back and forth in a fluid motion, a small wave moved back and forth with her movements. "Just do like I do and focus."

"Okay" He said, standing behind her, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath then pulled back and pushed forward, but when he moved his hands forward, he realized they were grasping something.

"Eep!" Katara said in surprise and shock. Nathan opened his eyes and looked down in horror, he had accidently grabbed Katara's butt. Nathan pulled his hands back, his face bright red, Katara's just as red.

"Oh my gosh Katara I'm so so sorry. I really didn't mean to, I mean it was an accident. I would never grab your butt…NO I mean no that you're butt isn't nice, it's really really nice…wait I mean not in like a perverted sense. But I don't grab girl's butts, no matter how much I want, no wait now I sound like a creep…" He continued rambling until Katara started giggling.

"Nathan", she said between giggles.

He stopped speaking, "Yes?"

"Please just shut up, before this gets worse." She said still giggling. Nathan turned a deep shade of red, and then stood BESIDE Katara. "Now, let's try this again, without getting grabby." She said pointedly to him. Nathan just mumbled something and watched her. She began pushing and pulling the water, then saw Nathan perform the same movement, once she saw he got the basic movements, she stopped.

"Okay Katara, I'll try this on my own" He said, as he watched the moving wave.

"Nathan" Said Katara

"I can do this, just stop bending!" He said again.

"Nathan I-" She began

"I think I can do it!" Nathan cut her off

"NATHAN! YOU ARE DOING IT!" She yelled.

Nathan looked up at her and her still arms then looked at the wave he was creating. "I'm a waterbender…" He murmured. "I'M A WATERBENDER!" He stopped moving the water and grabbed Katara into a tight embrace, spinning her around in the water. "I can BEND WATER!" He raised Katara up so she was eye level with him, "Thank you."

Katara then became self-conscious of their close proximity, of Nathan's hands on her waist, of how brilliantly green his eyes were. She then looked to his lips; they looked so sweet and inviting. _Wait, what am I thinking, he, he's my student now_. She shook her head to clear the thoughts and Nathan set her down.

"Come on" He said, "Let's tell the others the great news."

* * *

><p>That night, dinner was joyous and filled with laughter and celebrating. There wasn't a dull moment, Toph shared her new nickname about Nathan, Nathan taught Aang a few dances from his time, Aang then proceeded to Cat Daddy, Shuffle, Jerk, and Dougie for the rest of the night, or at least attempt to. Sokka was also introduced to <em>that's what she said<em>, which Nathan very much regretted.

"It was really hard…" Nathan said as he explained how he hurt his hand.

"That's what she said!" Sokka exclaimed. Everyone groaned and Toph slapped Nathan for telling Sokka those jokes.

Finally dinner came to an end, and Katara allowed Nathan to use waterbending to clean the dishes. Although it took much longer than if she did it, it was good practice for him. After everyone went to bed, and the dishes were done, Katara approached Nathan.

"It's time to talk Nathan" She said softly. He nodded.

"You're right, but not here." He took her hand and guided her to a small rock formation, which was flat on top. He sat down and so did she. The night was clear and beautiful, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the moon was half full. Nathan ran a hand through his hair and looked at Katara, who was still as beautiful at night. "So what do you want to know?" he asked.

She already had her questions picked out. "Why do you close up and get so nervous when your family is mentioned?"

Nathan sighed, expecting that, he took a deep breath "As long I can remember, my parents have always beat me. I'm an only child, my dad's a drinker and my mom is a heroin addict." Katara gave a skeptical look and Nathan explained heroin to her, he then continued. "I have to do everything around the house; I do the cooking, cleaning, laundry, and every other chore. Every night my dad would come home, curse me out, beat me up, and then yell at me to go to my room. My mom was with me during the day, and she yelled at me, slapped me, and kicked me all the time. It's gone on for so long now… I can't even remember what a loving hug feels like. I don't know what it's like to have a dad to chase away the monsters. To have a mom read you stories and tuck you in, someone to care for you when you're sick. All I know is yelling, pain, hurt, blood, broken bottles, and tears…so many tears." Nathan looked down; when suddenly he felt two warm arms embrace him in a hug. Since he wasn't the one initiating the hug, he froze up, but soon dissolved into the hug. It wasn't romantic, it was loving, it was caring, it was warm, friendly, and it was everything a hug needed to be.

Katara's voice was choked up; she was on the verge of tears. "When my mother died, I thought I lose everything, then my father left for the war, and it was only me, my brother, and Gran Gran. I felt…so alone and helpless, but then I realized I could pull through. There were people in my life who cared about me, and I made it." She pulled back to look at him "And now, you have us, we care about you, we are your family now." Tears now streamed down Katara's face as she hugged him again. "And we won't let you get hurt again."

Nathan only knew one thing to say, "Thank you Katara." They sat there and hugged for a long while. Simply enjoying each other's presence, each one finding comfort in the other. When they finally broke apart, neither wanted to leave, but it was late.

"Good night Nathan" Katara said, giving him one last hug then heading for bed. Nathan followed shortly after; as he approached camp he took a bottle of the earth kingdom alcohol. He started to uncork the bottle, but something in him told him not to. Something in him kept him from drowning himself in alcohol.

"Not tonight Nathan, not tonight." Nathan said to himself, putting the bottle back and laying down looking at the stars, with one person on his mind. "She really is something else….." Nathan whispered, as he fell into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>An: Woah, text vertigo here, you guys don't know what I'm talking about, but I do. Anyhoo, time to study for that Spanish test, read and review. <strong>


	7. Training Sessions

**AN: Been a while since I updated. Sorry. I don't own Avatar blah blah blah, enjoy, please read my note at the end. **

* * *

><p>The next few days, Nathan continued his waterbending training with Katara. He was making steady progress, the only problem was that Aang decided he need to start working on his waterbending again.<p>

"But Aang, you have to work on your earthbending." Katara told him sternly.

"I know and I am, but it's important to stay balanced." Aang pleaded with her, Nathan just watched, not really sure what to say.

"Fine" Katara said, finally giving in, she turned to Nathan, "I'm sorry, I'm sure you can find something to do while I work with Aang."

Nathan smiled, "It's no problem, and I needed a break anyway." He then walked away and back to the campsite. Nathan looked around and decided there was honestly nothing to do. He sighed, the past few days hadn't been that great. He loved spending time with Katara and learning to waterbending, but he also realized something sad, Katara was stronger than him. Every time he tried to pin her down or they tried some hand to hand techniques, she always beat him. Nathan needed to get stronger, and then it hit him. Toph.

Nathan walked to the rocky area he knew Toph would be at. When he arrived there, Toph was practicing her earthbending, back to Nathan.

"Can I help you daffodil?" She asked him, not even facing him.

Nathan shuffled his feet awkwardly, not really sure how to phrase the question without sounding like a wimp. He drew a blank, "Uh…"

"Well out with it! I'm busy!" Toph snapped.

Nathan sighed, "Do you think you could maybe train me and help me get stronger so I stop losing hand to hand fights?" He finally asked.

Toph stopped bending and turned to him, she then started laughing. Nathan turned bright red in embarrassment. Toph kept laughing, wiping tears from her eyes; finally she spoke in between laughs, "Hold on. You want me to train you so you can fight better? Against sweetness?"

Nathan turned even redder and objected, "Not just her! For any kind of hand to hand fight!"

Toph laughed harder, "You can't even beat her?"

Nathan sighed again, "I've never really been that strong…." He looked at his arms, they lacked muscle, when he flexed there wasn't much of a difference.

"Fine." Toph said, her laughing finally stopping. "I'll train you, but I'll train you with earthbending techniques."

Nathan smiled, but then confusion filled his face, "But what good will they do if I can't bend earth?"

Toph grinned, "Trust me; you'll not only be strong, but able to take down any earthbender. Except me of course. Now let's start!" She demanded. And with that statement, a large rock was chucked at Nathan.

* * *

><p>Nathan trained with Toph all afternoon, carrying and lifting rocks up hills. Trying to dodge rock slides, and rock blasts while climbing rock pillars. At one point in the training session, Nathan got really hot and sweaty, he was dying to take off his shirt, but didn't want Toph seeing his scars. Then he remembered she was blind, and with that Nathan threw his shirt to the side and continued training. Another one of Toph's rules for their training was that Nathan couldn't wear shoes. When he asked her Toph explained.<p>

"You see, first off your feet are weak, they need to be toughened. Second of all, when practicing, I want you to start picking up on the vibrations different objects. Even though you aren't an earthbender you can still get the basics of it down." Toph told him.

At the end of the training session, Nathan headed to the campfire, more sore than he had ever been in his life. Katara was at the campfire, preparing the food for dinner. Nathan collapsed on the ground next to her and looked up at her.

"You alright?" Katara asked.

Nathan nodded, "Just a little bit of training, nothing major. How'd it go with Aang?" He asked.

Katara sighed, "I swear it's like he forgot everything, there were so many times where I had to adjust his arms for him, I had to practically hold him the whole lesson." She shook her head.

Nathan laughed, "So what's for dinner?" he asked, his stomach rumbling.

Katara giggled, Nathan smiled , he loved her laugh. "We're having stew, same thing we do every meal." She answered.

Nathan grinned, "Just making sure." He sat up and watched the movements she used to bend the water in the stew.

"You wanna try?" Katara asked him.

Nathan nodded, "Sure" He took his hand and started moving it to mirror Katara's movements. The water splashed around as he stirred it.

"You need to be a bit more gentle with it. Like this." Katara placed her hand on his, guiding his movements. "Got it?" she looked at him.

Nathan looked back at Katara and took her free hand with his other one, caught up in the moment, looking into her eyes.

Katara felt herself blush as he held her hand, she looked up at him, his green eyes so mysterious, she couldn't read them. Nathan began to lean his head in, Katara felt her heart leap, she couldn't think straight. She had to remind herself to lean in too. Katara slowly leaned her head in to meet his. Their lips were inches apart; she slowly closed her eyes…

"Katara? Am I doing it right?" Nathan asked. "Earth to Katara."

Katara snapped out of her daydream, Nathan was still stirring the stew, his motions not quite right. Katara sighed, "You need to be more gentle Nathan"

Nathan loosened his hand and kept stirring, "Like this?" He asked.

Katara nodded, "Yeah….like that."

Nathan looked at her, "You okay? Something on your mind?"

Katara sighed, "Just a silly fantasy…."

Nathan gave her a strange look and shrugged, continuing to stir the stew.

* * *

><p>That night everyone was sitting around the fire, eating and laughing. At one point Sokka brought up Nathan's name.<p>

"I mean, Nathan, it just sounds so strange. I've never heard a name like it…" Sokka pointed out.

Nathan laughed, "I suppose so, but I've never heard names like yours, you guys have some weird names. Only other name I've heard like yours is my grandfather's…" Nathan sighed, his grandfather died when he was only five, he knew his grandfather was a kind man, his grandmother always spoke so fondly of him.

Sokka stroked his chin, "Alright Nathan, if you had a son then, would you give him a name like ours or a name like yours?"

Nathan thought, "If I had a son, I would name him after my grandfather…" Nathan said. His grandfather was Japanese and believed deeply in ancestors and spirits. Nathan didn't really have Japanese features, although he thought quite fondly of his hair.

"Well what was your grandfather's name?" Sokka asked.

"His name was Tenzin…" Nathan answered.

"Tenzin…." Katara said wistfully, "I like it!" Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Alright" Nathan said, "Aang if you had a son, what would you name him?"

Aang thought for a moment, "Bumi!" He finally said.

Sokka and Katara laughed remembering the crazy king. Toph smiled and Nathan nodded.

"Okay, Katara, if you had a daughter what would you name her?" Nathan asked.

Katara didn't hesitate "I'd name her Kaya, after my mother."

Nathan smiled, "Good one" He turned to Toph "And if you had a daughter?"

Toph scoffed "Why would I waste my time having a kid?"

Sokka answered "So your earthbending style and buttkicking heritage could live on."

Toph's face lit up with realization, "I could teach my daughter to kick butt? Awesome!"

Nathan laughed, "So what would you name her?"

Toph thought and then answered flatly, "Lin"

Everyone stared at her. "Lin?" Nathan asked.

Toph nodded, "Yup" She said, giving no farther explanation.

Nathan shrugged, "Alright then, your turn Sokka"

Sokka threw his hands into the air, "It's too soon to be thinking of kids!" he exclaimed dramatically. Everyone laughed and continued to eat.

At the end of the meal Nathan offered to clean up while everyone else went to bed. As soon as he finished with the dishes, he opened his duffle, pulled out a bottle of the earth kingdom alcohol, and uncorked it. It had been so long since he had a drink, Nathan felt his whole body relax as the drink went down his throat. He drank until he felt the sweet bliss he had missed for so long. Nathan felt his mind slow down, the world around him was gone and he smiled with sweet pleasure, putting the bottle away, he eventually passed out.

* * *

><p>The next morning Nathan woke up with a killer hangover everything hurt and his head pounded. When Katara saw him she was instantly worried.<p>

"Oh Nathan, you look awful, are you okay?" Katara asked, worry filling her voice.

Nathan shook his head, "No, I feel horrible, I don't think I can train today" he responded.

Katara nodded in understanding, "Just feel better" she said, kissed his forehead and with that walked away. Nathan grinned to himself and dozed off.

Nathan was awoken by a rock shooting him a few feet off the ground and landing on his face. "Owwww" he groaned, the pain being amplified due to his hangover.

"Time to train Daffodil!" Toph barked at Nathan.

"Not today Toph, I feel horrible." Nathan groaned.

Toph stormed over to him and grabbed him by the back of his shirt, dragging him to the rocky area. "You asked me to train you, this is part of your training!" With that Nathan began one of the most painful training sessions of his life.

* * *

><p>By the end of the day Nathan could barely move, he didn't even eat dinner, instead he went straight to bed, learning an important lesson. Hangovers and training don't mix.<p>

The next few days Nathan continued his training, sensing improvement in many ways. His drinking habits were also improving, he had to drink less than his normal amount, so the next day would be easier. He also felt himself growing stronger physically and as a waterbender, one day he even created his own technique.

Nathan was training with Toph and when his back was turned, she launched him into the air, high. Nathan flew for what felt like a long time and finally his body headed towards the ground, actually the river. As Nathan's body hurtled towards the water he prepared to catch himself, he bent a current of water to rise up and catch him, creating a pillar of water. He raised himself as high as he could until Toph was in sight, he sent his body towards her, taking as much water as possible with him.

Toph was unable to sense Nathan until he made impact, he hit her like a rock, water propelling him along. When his feet hit the ground Toph sent rock blasts at him. What he did next Toph wasn't expecting at all, he deflected them. Toph was a bit confused, she sensed objects in his hands he seemed to be using to deflect her rock barrage.

"Where did you get the swords?" Toph asked as she shot at him.

Nathan grinned; in his hands were two swords, made of ice. He had frozen the left over water from his attack and formed swords from the ice, using his waterbending quickly; he continually refroze and expanded it when needed. Nathan continued blocking Toph's attacks and began charging at her, the swords making it a much easier task.

Toph smiled, proud of Nathan for pulling such a skillful and original maneuver. Unfortunately for Nathan Toph was a master earthbender and he was only at an intermediate level of waterbending, as Nathan charged, Toph waited until the perfect moment. His swords stabbed at her and Toph raised up a wall of earth, his swords shattering against it, she then made a rock pop under his foot, causing Nathan to faceplant into the wall.

Nathan groaned in pain, he felt warm blood trickle from his nose, Toph laughed. "Well, that's all the training for the day." She waved and walked off. Nathan just laid on the ground in defeat and pain, but grinning like an idiot, excited for his new move.

* * *

><p>Katara was walking along the river, collecting berries and fire wood when she noticed an interesting trail of water. The water trail led from the river towards the rocky areas Toph practiced earthbending at. Katara followed the trail until she reached Nathan, laying on the ground surrounded by shattered ice and various rocks.<p>

"Nathan!" Katara dropped her items and ran to him, assuming the worst, worry filling her voice. When she reached him she saw blood coming from his nose. "Oh no! What happened?" She asked as she helped him sit up.

Nathan grinned, "I'm fine, really. I was just doing some training and ran into a wall…of earth." He said.

Katara gave him a look of disbelief, "Nathan, I'm serious."

Nathan laughed, "Really, it's all good." With that he walked off, leaving a very confused Katara.

The next few days passed smoothly, Nathan got some painting in, and everyone was getting along well. One day Aang made an announcement.

"Alright guys, I think it's time we have a vacation." He stated with a huge smile, everyone cheered. Everyone helped to pack up and they were out of the camp by noon. Nathan was really excited for a break from all his training, he felt himself becoming stronger and a better bender, but a break sounded nice.

As they flew Nathan wasn't the only one noticing his progress. Katara watched Nathan as he sat and realized Nathan had gotten a lot tanner from all his time in the sun. His skin was no longer that light tone that matched Aang's, it was quite a bit darker, not as dark as Sokka or Katara though. Katara also noticed that his arms weren't as skinny. _Oh my, _Katara thought, _Nathan's buff. _

After flying for a while, they landed to eat and take a break. Aang laid out a map for them to see. "Alright Katara, you get to pick where we go first." Aang told her.

Katara looked over the map and thought about where to go "Hmmm how about here?" She pointed at an ice block on the map.

Aang grinned, "Alright guys, let's head off!" He said excitedly.

Nathan smiled, he felt this trip would go extremely well.

Unfortunately Nathan was completely wrong.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Alright, enjoy my little Korra reference? Yeah that will play a part much later in the story, teehee. Any way give your thoughts any and all feedback is great.<strong>

**Also an important matter, as you know is now allowing covers to be posted for stories, so anyone who can suggest or even better create me a cover for my story will win my great thanks and appreciation, OH and a oneshot! Yay! I don't write anything dirty, and I like to keep the couples guy and girl, I don't write and slash or femslash, I just can't nothing against it. So yeah, reviews and ideas very helpful. **


	8. Discoveries and Hate

When Appa landed at the supposed relaxing springs, they saw that the place was a dump. Everyone hopped off of Appa and headed into a nearby building. As the entered the building Nathan looked around, "I feel like I'm gonna get mugged in here", he mumbled to Katara as he looked at all of the rugged and burly looking men.

Katara nodded, "Yeah I'm getting the same feeling…" she whispered back as they approached the bar. The man behind the bar eyed the group over.

"What do you want?" he asked.

Sokka grinned, "Uh…we'll have something to drink…" he said lamely. The man nodded and using his swords made the group drinks. They all took theirs and everyone drank with pleasure.

"Wow these are really good" Aang said happily. Everyone nodded in agreement. As they enjoyed their drinks, Nathan saw a scholarly looking man going over some maps.

"It has to be out here…but where?" He mumbled to himself as he looked over the maps and sipped his drink. Nathan tapped the man's shoulder, to which he jumped.

"Uh sorry bout that man…." Nathan apologized to which the man gave him a strange look. "I was just wondering what exactly you're looking for"

The man sighed, by this time the rest of the group was listening. "You see I'm a professor, and I love knowledge. I am out here in this desert trying to locate a library with knowledge of everything in the world. But I've taken many trips out to the desert and sadly I have not found it."

Sokka seemed to be pondering the thought of all of the knowledge in the world. Aang smiled at the man, "Sorry to hear about that, but maybe you'll find it someday."

"I am not too sure about that, I don't think I can handle much more of this desert, I've almost died on some of my trips." The professor sighed, then looked at them, "I'm sorry how rude of me. I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Professor Zei." He said with a smiled.

Sokka then suddenly exclaimed, "We'll help you find the library!"

"You will?" Zei asked with hope.

"We will?" Aang asked with confusion. Sokka grinned and pulled the gang to the side.

"Guys," He whispered, "If this place really does have knowledge of the whole world, we can get some leverage on the fire nation."

Nathan frowned, "Are you sure that's a good idea Sokka?" he asked, a foreboding feeling in his chest.

Sokka nodded, "It's a great idea! C'mon what's the worst that could happen?"

Nathan sighed in defeat, "Alright Sokka…"

Aang grinned, "Well if everyone is okay with it then let's go." He turned to the Professor. "We're going to the library!"

The Professor smiled happily and followed them out.

* * *

><p>After flying through the desert for what felt like forever they finally stopped when Aang saw something strange sticking out of the ground. They all got off Appa and approached the structure.<p>

"I think… I think it's a piece of the library!" Professor Zei exclaimed.

Sokka looked at it, unconvinced, "I dunno it seem kinda-" he was cut off by a fox dashing between his legs and going through the window of the building. "AH! WHAT WAS THAT?!" Sokka exclaimed as he jumped back.

Everyone laughed. "It was a fox, Sokka" Nathan told him between laughs.

Sokka turned red and grumbled as the Professor's face lit up. "Not just any fox, a help of the great spirit who runs the library, a knowledge seeker. This has to be it!"

Katara looked at the window, "But how do we get in?"

Sokka pulled some rope off of Appa. "I have an idea."

After getting everyone into the library, and Toph stubbornly staying outside, they all looked around with wonder.

"This place is amazing…" Nathan said with awe.

The professor nodded, "Truly…magnificent!" Their moment of bliss was short lived as a giant owl interrupted them.

"And just what are you people doing here?" The owl inquired.

Nathan and Sokka's jaws dropped, "Talking owl!" Sokka yelled.

Katara glared at him which shut him up. The professor bowed before the owl, "Please, great spirit, we are only humble seekers of knowledge."

The owl watched him with an impassive expression, "Humans are no longer welcomed here. They seek only to destroy each other. That is not what my library is for."

Sokka pushed Aang forward, "Well he's the Avatar, he can convince you otherwise."

Aang glared at Sokka, but then turned to the spirit, "Uhh hi. I'm the Avatar and I promise you that we will not seek knowledge to destroy anyone…" He said lamely. The owl looked unconvinced. Aang quickly added "I Avatar promise."

The owl sighed, probably just annoyed with the group. "I will let you view my library, on one condition, you all contribute some knowledge to it." Everyone quickly began digging through their bags and gave their donations the owl. The professor went first, giving him a stack of books. Katara then presented him with a waterbending scroll, Aang a poster, and Sokka, a knot. When Nathan approached the owl he sheepishly handed him a painting from his bag. It was a painting of a car, he had tried to explain to the gang what cars were, but when they still did not get it he painted a picture of one. The owl looked at the painting, "What is this?" He inquired as he examined the painting.

Nathan gulped. "It's a um, car. They use them… in the future."

The owl seemed interested in the painting "Hmmm yes…very well you all are allowed admittance to my library." He then flew off without another word.

"Alright!" Sokka exclaimed and ran off searching for fire nation information. Aang smiled and ran down a different path. Professor Zei beamed brightly and walked off at a brisk pace, eager for information.

Nathan grinned at Katara, "So I guess that just leaves us, care to explore with me?" he asked.

Katara giggled, "Nothing would make me happier." Nathan turned a bit red and his smile grew as they started walking. As they walked down the rows of books, Katara very hesitantly took hold of his hand, Nathan practically froze, but somehow kept walking; Katara said nothing and kept looking ahead. He looked around for something to read, but he was a bit too distracted, lucky for Nathan, Katara pointed out some scrolls about waterbending. They studied the scrolls and techniques for a while, but Nathan walked away because another book in particular caught his eye. He opened up the heavy object and saw that it was a book on painting and art. His eyes widened as he looked through each page, discovering many brilliant painting techniques.

* * *

><p>After what felt like a while, Sokka ran down the hall holding a piece of paper. "Guys we gotta get out of here, now!" Katara and Nathan stood as they felt the library begin to tremble and shake violently.<p>

"What did you did Sokka?" Katara yelled as they started to run.

"No time to explain!" Sokka yelled as he ran past. Aang followed Sokka as Katara and Nathan were in the back. They stopped at the rope and Sokka had Katara start climbing.

"Wait! What about Professor Zei?" Nathan asked. Sokka just shook his head sadly and Nathan understood. The rest of them climbed the rope and they landed in the sand on the outside. Toph was on her knees pounding the ground.

Aang looked at her, "Toph…w-where's Appa?" he asked with a shaky voice.

Toph looked up, tears in her eyes, "He's gone. I tried to stop them, but I-I had to stop the building from sinking…" she explained. Everything at that moment seemed to freeze. No one said a word. Aang clutched his staff, knuckles white.

"We need to get moving so we can find him" Aang's voice was tight and tense. Katara opened her mouth to say something, but Nathan put a hand on her shoulder.

"Not now Katara…" he told her softly. She nodded in understanding. And with that, their long walk through the desert began.

* * *

><p>The day was long and tedious. Aang had lost it and flown off, Sokka had gone crazy on cactus juice and everyone seemed to be on their last nerve. Everyone, it seemed, except for Nathan. Katara couldn't figure out how he was staying calm and collected, every altercation or dilemma that arose, he would solve it with a few words. Katara also noted that he clutched his duffle bag tightly, he treated it like it was a valuable treasure he couldn't release. This worried her greatly, but at least he was sane, and she could worry about her crazy brother. At last nighttime came, and with it sleep. For most of them.<p>

When night came everyone laid down and fell asleep rather quickly, minus Nathan. All day he had been sneaking small sips from his bottles of alcohol when no one noticed, it was the only way he could stay calm. But now that night had come around he could drink more and with that thought he slipped out of his sleeping bag and sat cross legged. Nathan opened his duffle and pulled out a bottle, he uncorked it and started drinking, it felt wonderful. He took it sip by sip, watching the moon, and eventually drifted into sweet bliss. Little did he know that a pair of eyes were on him, sapphire eyes filled with hurt and betrayal as they watched him drink.

Nathan closed his bottle and was about to go to sleep when he felt someone behind him, he slowly turned and saw Katara, her face hurt and angry in the moonlight. "So this is how it is Nathan? You have a whole bottle of water and you don't even share with us?" she growled.

Nathan looked at his bottle, realizing she couldn't read it in the dark. He chuckled, first slowly and then it evolved into a hearty laugh. "Katara…this…thisisn't watahhh" His words were slurred, his mind and vision fuzzy. "Honeeehh this is alcohol…and it. Is. Goooooooood" He slurred, enunciating the d in good.

Katara's eyes widened in horror, this guy, the one she had gotten to know and begun to fall for, he was drunk. "N-Nathan, why are you doing this? Where did you get that? How…." Questions filled her mind, she didn't know what to think.

Nathan blinked, once. Twice. Then he smiled, not the smile Katara knew and had grown to love, a gross drunken smile, tainted by alcohol. "I been doing this for a while now… Since my daddidit, I thoughtIshouldtoo" He slowly stood up and walked towards her.

Katara backed up, "Nathan…stop it…y-you're scaring me…"

He grinned again, " I don't wannascare you…no…no…" he walked right up to her and grabbed her by the wrist.

"Nathan! Don't!" Katara squealed in horror.

For a moment the cloudy haze left his eyes, and he seemed to be all there, "Katara…" He pleaded softly. And then he passed out. Katara dragged him to his sleeping bag and put him there in disgust. Tears filled her eyes as she went back to her own.

"That jerk…I can't believe I liked him… I can't stand him…" She sniffled. She laid there, crying and before falling asleep she whispered, "I hate him…"

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><p><strong>AN: I'm a jerk. It's been so long since I updated, I've gotten sidetracked and this is so long overdue. This is shorter than you guys deserve, maybe hopefully I could possibly get the next chapter up soon, but no promises. If I still have followers I hope you enjoyed this. Criticism still welcome...<strong>


	9. Broken Ties

**A/N: Here is another chapter, enjoy, hopefully. Please read and review. I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender, but I do own a bathtub, and sometimes I sit in it and pretend to waterbend….**

The first thought that crossed Nathan's mind that morning was that it was hot, really hot. As he groggily opened his eyes he looked around and panicked. They were gone. He tried to look across the barren desert and saw no sign of them, they had left him. But why? He had no idea, now he was lost in the desert with a killer hangover, a few bottles of alcohol, and his hope destroyed. Tears filled his eyes, these people he had thought were his friends abandoned him, and they had no good reason.

Katara had gone insane, and no one was willing to stand up to her. Toph let everything go down silently, but she wasn't happy about any of it. Katara had woken them up this morning and told them that Nathan was hogging water for himself and that he was also drinking alcohol. Katara convinced them to leave Nathan, at first only Aang was on board; his own judgment was clouded by the loss of Appa. Sokka was reluctant to leave Nathan, claiming it wasn't right, and then Katara told him that he tried to take advantage of her. Toph had a hard time believing this, which is exactly why she was packing down the sand with earth bending with each of her steps as she walked in the back. She was not going to let Daffodil die just because he made a mistake at the wrong time.

Katara was beyond angry, and walking through a hot desert with little water did not help. A voice inside her head said to turn back and find Nathan, but she quickly shut it up with thoughts of last night's betrayal. She was so infuriated at him, after everything they had been through and he was drinking. This only made Katara further question their relationship, was he drunk the entire time she knew him? Katara got angrier and continued to trudge through the desert.

Nathan had given up hope; he was prepared to let himself die in the desert, as he lay on the ground in the fetal position, which was when he noticed the foot prints. With further inspection he noticed that they were bare feet, he gently touched the footprints and saw they were a thin layer of rock. A grin appeared on his face, "Thank you Toph. I owe you one" he whispered. Nathan stood up and began the long journey through the desert, alone. He had to figure out what was going on, why they left him, and how he could fix it.

Katara wasn't sure how long they had been walking until they reached the giant rock, but it felt like all day. Throughout the day she had to forget her anger towards Nathan so she could comfort Aang. He was so vulnerable and incredibly volatile, Katara had to be patient with him. She also noticed throughout the day that Toph was particularly quiet; she seemed to be thinking of something, the way she lagged behind and took slow steps. When they came to the rock though Toph practically tackled the thing and refused to let go. "Oh sweet land, how I missed you so" she sighed contently. Katara couldn't help but smile.

"C'mon Toph, we have to-" she was cut off by a sandstorm picking up.

"Uh oh…" Toph mumbled, hopping off the rock. Her uh oh was correct as a group of sandbenders glided in on their sand boats. They stopped at the group and Toph growled. "Those are the ones that took Appa…"

At those words Aang jumped into action, "Where is he? What did you do with him?"

The head sandbender frowned, "Who? You mean that kid walking through the desert? Oh we didn't do anything to him, that kid was already halfway dead when we came across him. We just kept on going." He explained. Katara gulped, guilt washing over her, they were talking about Nathan. She couldn't believe this, what had she done. Katara almost asked where, but stopped reminding herself how angry she was at him. So what if he died. She didn't care, right?

Aang growled at the sandbender, "Where's my bison, the one you stole?" he demanded. And so it went on, back and forth until finally the bender who stole Appa confessed and Aang lost it. Aang began to enter the Avatar State and the sandbenders got out of there as fast as they could. Aang started hovering as his tattoos glowed bright blue, Katara approached him and gently took his hand.

"We'll find him Aang" she said softly. Aang looked at her and the gentleness in her eyes; he slowly exited the Avatar State and collapsed in her arms.

When Aang was stable enough to walk they continued through the desert and made it out and into the nearest town. They rented a room at an inn, and all of them got their fill of food and water then went to sleep.

The next day after eating breakfast Katara and the rest of the group finally came to their senses. They were all sitting at the table eating, when Nathan was mentioned, and Katara realized how irrational she had been. The heat of the desert and lack of water had gotten to her, she saw how crazy and rash her actions were. Her eyes filled with tears, realizing she killed Nathan. Her heart shattered and tears flowed down her cheeks as sobs began to rack her body. Sokka and Aang just stared at her as she sobbed; no one knew what to say, for they were all at fault. "I killed him…" Katara whispered through her tears, her voice cracking. Finally Toph spoke up.

"No. You didn't, lucky for you idiots I was actually thinking" Toph began explaining how she left Nathan a trail to follow. "Now we just hope he makes it." Toph finished. Katara and the others stared at her with admiration and shock. Katara's tears continued to fall, but she smiled, realizing Nathan had a chance to leave.

"Thank you Toph. You're amazing" Katara hugged her. Toph shrugged her off.

"Yeah yeah sugar queen don't get all emotional on me." Toph grumbled. Katara smiled and looked at the boys.

"I'm gonna go wait outside, for Nathan." Katara told them quietly and left the inn. She walked to the edge of town the group arrived in and sat down on the ground. She was determined to wait for him and right her wrongs. Katara thought of all the times her and Nathan spent together, and she remembered the first time she got a true look into his life. It was when they were in the woods and she had confronted him on his strange mood swings, which she now realized were from alcohol. She remembered Nathan telling her that his life was so bad he had resorted to extreme measures, and finally all of the pieces clicked into place. All the abuse he had suffered, he had no way to deal with it, there was no one is his life, and suddenly Katara was hit with a wave of nausea.

She had done the exact thing she told Nathan she wouldn't. She said he would never be alone and that they would be there for him, and Katara simply left him. Fresh tears filled her eyes and she began to cry again. She felt like a horrible person and truly believed it. Nathan didn't do anything wrong, he had a problem and she couldn't be understanding enough. Katara sat there crying for a long time until eventually she felt someone wrap her in a hug. She turned and saw Aang he gave her a smile, that sweet naïve smile she always enjoyed seeing.

"Hey Aang…" She said softly.

"Hi Katara" Aang replied.

"I'm a horrible person" she whispered

"No you aren't Katara, you were confused and you made a mistake." He insisted. "You did nothing wrong, your emotions were on high"

Katara nodded, "Yeah I guess you're right." She lied. Katara didn't believe him at all, but she was definitely not in the mood for an argument with Aang. He smiled at her.

"Good" he told her, "Now why don't you come in, it's getting late." He suggested.

Katara shook her head, "No, I'm waiting for him" She said stubbornly. Aang sighed.

"Alright then Katara, I'll bring you out some dinner…" He walked off. Katara sat and stared over the barren landscape, the sun began to set and she grew more worried. Aang came with her dinner and left her alone again, she ate in deep thought, praying to Yue she would guide him safely there. She continued to wait long into the night, feeling herself drift in and out of sleep, it finally, she saw it.

The shape dragged itself along the sandy floor, Katara stood with excitement and dashed to the shape. Upon closer inspection she saw it was indeed human and that it was Nathan. Her heart leapt and she knelt by him. She looked at him with horror, his face was covered in scratches, his hair was matted with blood and sand, and he had a horrible sunburn all over his body, causing his skin to peel and crack. But what killed Katara inside were his eyes, those eyes that she had seen smile, those eyes she had seen grow happier, the eyes that were harboring a secret light she only saw glimpses of. Those bright green eyes were now filled with hurt, pain, and betrayal, as they fluttered closed when he passed out.

When Nathan woke up he was clean and a pitcher and glass of water sat on the table next to him. He tried to remember what exactly had happened. He remembered the desert, running into those strange flying monsters, he separated the water from the other parts of his alcohol using his bending and survived off of that. He encountered a group of sand benders who agreed to leave him alone, but then one of them stayed behind, beat Nathan up, and took his painting supplies. Nathan was lucky he managed to escape with just the paints missing; he traded them to the bender in exchange for his life. Nathan tried to recall what else happened then remembered coming into town, he remembered a set of blue eyes and a figure of a girl then he passed out.

"Crazy…" he mumbled then slowly sat up, wincing in pain. He grabbed the glass of water next to him and drank slowly, the fresh liquid felt well on his still dry lips. After downing the glass he looked around the room. The room was tiny and bare, there was a window, a door, and a single chair right beside his bed. Hunched over in that chair was a sleeping figure, their dark hair falling like a curtain around their face. Nathan instantly recognized the blue attire as Katara's and was at a loss for words. He stared at her in silence, thinking deeply. This was only person he ever truly trusted, and yet, he woke up one morning and she was gone. After the group disappeared, he did his good share of crying, but he then hardened his heart. There was a reason that Nathan didn't let people in, and when his walls finally came down, she crushed his heart. Nathan was too distracted by his own bitter thoughts to realize Katara had awoken.

"Nathan, you're awake" she said softly. Nathan looked at her, his face emotionless and he nodded curtly. Katara gently placed her hand on top of his and smiled warmly. He jerked his hand away from hers and stared forward, coldly. She sighed, "Nathan I'm-"

"Save it." He cut her off, his voice harsh. "I don't want an explanation from you Katara. You've done enough. I don't know what I did to piss you off, and I don't care, you guys left me. The only person I want to speak to is Toph, she saved my life"

Katara's jaw dropped, she couldn't believe the words that Nathan had uttered. "But Nathan…I didn't…" she started.

He held up his hand to silence her. "Just don't, I want to see Toph" Katara felt tears fill her eyes, but she stood up and walked out, Nathan didn't watch her go, tears falling from his own eyes. "Why…?" he asked softly, "Why?"

When Katara was out of the room, she slumped against the wall and cried. He hated her now, all because she messed up, how could she be so stupid. She cried into her hands, knowing there was no way she could regain his trust. She just lost the boy she cared about like no one else. The guy of her dreams, literally, and she screwed it all up.

**A/N: Yeah, I like two author's notes, deal with it. Anyways, if you guys are interested, I have a Legend of Korra one shot, called Just the Funny Guy. Go check it out on my profile, thanks!**


	10. Escape

**AN: It has been a long time and I apologize greatly. I've been super lazy, running, playing video games, watching awesome stuff and sleeping. This chapter is dedicated Celtice and Mondale 2016 who really gave me the extra push to get going again and left an amazingly helpful review. Please enjoy the chapter, and once again I don't own Avatar, but I do have some rocks in my backyard, I close my eyes and throw them around and pretend I'm Toph. **

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><p>"Thank you…" It was the only thing Nathan could think to say to Toph. He couldn't express his gratitude to her enough. Toph grinned.<p>

"Yeah yeah it's no big deal Daffodil." She replied, "But I do want something in return"

"And what's that?" Nathan asked with an eyebrow raise.

"For you to talk to Katara" she told him. Nathan frowned. Every wound he received seemed to throb again; he felt the dull ache inside his chest return, the wretched pain of betrayal.

"No…I can't…." Nathan said softly.

"And why not?" She scoffed.

"She stranded me in the desert!" Nathan exclaimed

"You were smuggling alcohol!" Toph snapped at him. "Everyone was dehydrated, worn out, and not thinking clearly!"

"Yeah but-" Nathan started.

"No, Nathan" Toph cut him off with a raise of her hand, using his actual name. Nathan gulped and grew silent. "Everyone makes mistakes, some more than others. Katara made a mistake, granted it was a big one, but still one mistake. Now think of all the mistakes you've made, every time you've let Katara down, every time you've lied to her. You have no reason to hold a grudge Nathan, you've messed up a lot more, so suck it up and talk to her." Toph finished and left with a slam of the door.

Nathan was speechless, his mind comprehending everything Toph had said to him. He began to think of all the times he hurt Katara. He thought of how he lied to her when he first arrived, how long it took him to open to her and share at least some of the truth. Nathan thought of when he would be hung over in the mornings and he lied to her about what was really happening. Thoughts of all the times she had worried about him and how he shrugged her off, how she never gave up on him, despite how closed off he was. Katara was the first person Nathan truly trusted, she had told him she would always be there for him. Thinking of that caused the anger to fill him once more, she betrayed him, she said she would always be there, but she wasn't. Nathan held his head with frustration; it was all so confusing he wasn't sure what to do. He ran a head through his hair, raven locks falling back into the emerald eyes filled with conflicted thoughts.

Katara sat outside of the building, her knees pulled to her chest as she thought about her current situation. Nathan was, from her understanding, an alcoholic, a liar, an amazing painter from the future, but somehow a bender, a misunderstood guy with an awful past, incredibly sweet and able to fill her stomach with butterflies at just the brush of his hand. She sighed, as the contradicting thoughts filled her mind, she thought of the drunken look on his face in the desert that night, the cloudiness of his eyes in the moonlight, and the horrible way she felt when he seemed like a completely different person.

Katara then thought of the look he gave her when he came back, the cold untrusting look in his eyes, the betrayal she saw in them and most importantly the hurt. When he shrugged her off and pushed her away, an unexplainable pain filled her chest. Her throat seemed to close and it was hard to breathe, she slid down the wall and held her chest. Was this heartbreak? That was the only explanation, and she hated the way it felt. Katara screwed up, she knew it, but now she had to fix it, but how?

Nathan continued to lie in his bed, a couple hours had passed since his and Toph's talk and he had made no progress with his thoughts. There was a knock on the door and Nathan sat up straight.

"Who is it?" he asked with a cracked voice, his throat still a bit hoarse.

"Sokka", came the reply.

"Come on in" Nathan said. He didn't see any reason to be mad at Sokka, and besides, he was going crazy from being alone. The door opened and Sokka entered, his hair in a ponytail and his expression unreadable. "Hey" Nathan nodded at him. No reply came from Sokka as he walked to Nathan's side and looked at him with the same blank expression. Nathan began to grow uncomfortable and tried to figure out what he wanted "Uh do you-"

"Just shut up" Sokka cut him off. Nathan shut up and looked at the water tribe boy, now seeing the anger on his face. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Nathan. "Now I want you to listen up and not say anything." Nathan nodded, not used to this side of Sokka, he was always so happy. "I've always liked you Nathan, I thought you were a good guy. You treated my little sister well and you became an important part of this team, you became our friend. But then we get out in that desert, you smuggle water, you drink alcohol, and you try to take advantage of MY little sister! That was too far; you betrayed our team and hurt all of us! Now everything is falling apart and we have to wait for you to get well when we could be out there helping Aang prepare to fight the Fire Lord!" Sokka practically yelled at him. Nathan was speechless, the words Sokka spoke sinking in.

Sokka turned and began to leave, proud that he said what needed to be said, and before he opened the door he turned around. "And Nathan" he added, the boy raising his head to look at Sokka, "If you ever try to touch my baby sister again, I will show you first-hand what my boomerang can do. And if you've ever been hit by one, you know they always come back and hit you again." With that said, Sokka opened the door and walked out, slamming it. Sokka smiled big, "Oh yeah! I totally nailed my big brother speech!" He fist pumped into the air and walked off to go eat.

Nathan stared at the door Sokka had left through, everything he had said registering in his mind. It was all true, Nathan being hurt was only holding the group back, and he could only see a few options.

That night Nathan couldn't fall asleep, his uneaten dinner Toph brought him sat on the table beside him. When she entered she sat it down without a word, still mad he wouldn't speak to Katara. Nathan sat up and swung his legs over to the side of the bed; he touched the hard floor with his bare feet and winced a bit. He stood up slowly and walked to the window, his head so clouded with thoughts. Outside the full moon shone brightly, its light shining into Nathan's room. "Why me?" Nathan questioned, as he looked through the window. "Why am I here? Why was I brought to this world? Was it just so I could learn to trust? To feel something that wasn't pain? To learn what friends truly felt like and have that relationship torn from me? Because if that was it then you sure did your job!" He growled, punching the side of the wall. All the built up hurt and anger was releasing itself. "I was perfectly fine dying! I had nothing to live for! But now, now I actually care! I have people to live for, ones who care for me and I screwed up! That's all I can ever do is screw up!" He yelled at the sky. "I hope your happy now!" Nathan stormed from the window to the other end of the room, he chucked the food to the floor, the plate smashing, but he really didn't care anymore. He flipped the bedside table and kicked the flimsy object, leaving a good sized hole through it, pain shooting through his foot which he ignored.

Nathan stood, fists clenched, as he breathed heavily, now he understood why he got beat when his dad was angry, physical activity was quite the outlet. The person by the window, in the moonlight watched this activity before coughing quietly. With a growl, the shaking boy turned to the person, surprise filling his face as he recognized the figure. "You…" he whispered to the floating apparition of the moonlight.

"Nathan" she spoke softly and gently.

He frowned, "What are you doing here? This is all your fault!" he spat at her.

She stood unflinching, understanding his pain, "This was your own doing, I simply brought you here for your own good."

"But why? Why me? I don't even know you! You just poofed me here without me consent!" he accused.

She sighed, "I'm sorry Nathan, I believe you deserve some kind of an explanation. Introductions are in order. I am Yue, the moon spirit" she began, and Nathan's eyes widened. That name, it sounded so familiar, he could've sworn he heard Sokka mumble it before. Yue seemed to recognize Nathan's expression as she elaborated, "The friends you are with, you see, they helped me a while ago, before I became the moon. They are good people, and I knew they could help you as well"

Nathan's expression grew dark once more, "So you brought me here because you though I needed help? Couldn't you have picked someone else? Why me?" he asked once again.

Yue smiled, "That pond you went to every day to paint. That was a special oasis, that's where I died, where I became the moon. It is supposed to be unreachable, so you see, the spirits decided that you were special." She explained. Nathan pondered this, it was always empty there, and he always felt at peace there, it was the one place he could be happy.

"But that still doesn't explain why you saved me? Why I'm here?" He asked.

Yue sighed, "I saved you because I couldn't bear to watch you die, when you had so much to live for. My power is strongest on the full moon and I brought you here. I believe it was destiny Nathan and you've done so much better" she encouraged.

"No! Everything is worse! Now I actually care and feel and that makes it hurt so much more!" Nathan argued. Yue watched him sadly, knowing she couldn't convince him otherwise. Then Nathan began to pull on his shoes and take the blankets from his bed, she observed with confusion.

"Nathan, what are you doing now?" she asked calmly, knowing she wouldn't like his answer. He zipped up his duffle after putting in the blankets.

"I'm getting out of here." He answered as he pulled his duffle onto his shoulder with a wince.

Yue frowned, "You're in no shape to travel, you need to stay" she scolded. Nathan ignored her and went to the window, preparing to climb out as Yue spoke once more. "So you're just going to run? Leave it all behind?" she asked him.

Nathan looked back and nodded, "That's exactly what I'm doing" he answered, and proceeded to climb again, but Yue's next words made him freeze.

"Go ahead and run Nathan, because that's all you've ever done. Your whole life, you've never faced your problems, only run from them. When your parents hurt you, you turned to alcohol to run from the pain, life got too hard and you tried to run away from it by ending it. People got close to you and you tried to run from them. Every problem that came up, you ran from it and turned to alcohol, so go ahead and do it Nathan, I see now my efforts were fruitless" she told him with her soft and calm voice.

Time almost stood still as they stared at each other, the light rippling across Yue, her pale and transparent eyes boring through Nathan's bold ones. She then saw his green orbs look to the floor in shame, "I'm sorry" he whispered before sliding out the window. Yue bowed her head as the boy disappeared into the night.

"I'm not the one you should apologize to" Yue whispered as she faded away, leaving the room, empty.


End file.
